Selena VS American McGee's Alice
by Masquerade
Summary: This is a little "just for fun hobby" project. My character, Selena, is taken to Wonderland to help aide Alice to kill the Queen of Hearts. Comedy, horror, suspence, and of course Alice. Please come read! **ON HOLD!**
1. Prologue: Dreams of Wonderland

Author's Note: Well, this is my first fanfic of its kind. This fic is the basic story line of the awesome PC game American McGee's Alice, but instead of our dear Alice being the main character, I chose one of my own. Yes, she's a character I used for a DBZ fic called Unholy Crusade, but for this story I stripped her completely of her powers. I mean, c'mon, that's cheating. For those who don't know her, her name is Selena Lawless and she's literally a kick-ass bitch. I thought it would be funny to put her in the McGee version of Wonderland and watch her squirm. So, this'll be the somewhat same story as the game, with a bit of an anime fighting style to it. I haven't fully beaten the game yet, so I don't know the exact ending but I know the basic plot. So, sit back and relax, as someone who had absolutely nothing to do with the story gets thrown into the plot and ends up turning this Wonderland more upside-down than it was. Who will win the battle for sanity? Selena or the world of American McGee's Alice?

__

(Check, check, check check... out my melody)   
Special   
You think you're special   
You do   
I can see it in your eyes   
I can see it when you laugh at me   
Look down on me   
You walk around on me   
Just one more fight   
About your leadership   
And I will straight up   
Leave your shit   
Cause I've had enough of this   
And now I'm pissed   
Yeah   
This time I'm 'a let it all come out   
This time I'm 'a stand up and shout   
I'm 'a do things my way   
It's my way   
My way, or the highway   
(_Check out, check check... out my melody)_   
  
~~~~~

It was snowing outside; a small fire warmed up the room. A grandfather clock was ticking and tocking in a sleepy rhythm in the hall. On the dresser stood a deck of cards, an unfinished game of chess, and a brass pocket watch that belonged to a wealthy English businessman.

The little girl was fast asleep in her warm and cozy bed. Under one arm, she cuddled her stuffed rabbit doll. One could only imagine the wondrous and fantastic things she could have been dreaming of.

I had a faint idea of what…

I was sitting on the edge of her bed, reading her bedtime story to myself. I was so fascinated with the curious world and colorful characters that I couldn't put the book down. It was a story about the world in Alice's head written by her uncle, Lewis Carroll. Every word drew me deeper and deeper into her Wonderland.

" _'Wake up, Doormy." The Hatter called to the door mouse. 'It's time for the tea party.'_

'Give me half a cup, please.' The March Hare asked.

'Did a white rabbit come by this way?' Alice wondered, sitting down to her teacup.

'Let's change the subject.' The door mouse suggested.

'I've got one.' the Mad Hatter announced. 'Why is a raven like a writing desk?' "

I giggled at the riddle suddenly. I looked down at the sleeping girl and smiled.

"What a wonderful imagination you have, Alice." I sighed. "I hope you can always keep that beautiful, little world of imagination with you forever."

Then, I heard a cat screech in the next room, and the sound was followed by a crash of breaking glass.

"Dinah…" I growled. "Well, that's the first time she's broken anything. I'll clean it up later. After this next chapter." I turned the next page, which began the next chapter.

" _Chapter IV, Smoke and Fire. Suddenly, one of the candles fell on the tablecloth, and a huge fire erupted._

'AAAAA! Fire!' the Hatter cried out.

'Oh dear! Oh dear!' the door mouse screamed.

'Oh no!' the Hare shouted frantically. 'Wake up, Alice! Wake up!'

The Hatter looked around the room frantically.

****

'Selena, you must save Alice!' "

"What?!" I cried, dropping the book. "My name…but how…"

Then, I was aware of the gray smoke floating through the room and the smell of burning oil. Dinah must have knocked over an oil lamp in one of the bedrooms! I gasped in alarm, and quickly turned to Alice.

She was still asleep!

"Alice, wake up!" I shouted, shaking her. "Wake up!"

She coughed as she opened her eyes.

"What's happened?"

"Fire." I said in a calm voice. "We have to leave. Follow me."

Alice paid no attention to me in her panic. She grabbed her stuffed rabbit and ran out the door. More smoke billowed into the room, and I could feel the heat down the hall. I quickly ran after her.

"Alice! No!" I called in-between coughs. "Come back!"

"Mum!" she cried, running to her parent's room, the source of the fire. "Dad!"

"No!" I reached her, but she was already at her parent's door. The smoke was very thick inside the bedroom, and I could hear her father coughing.

"Alice!" I heard her mother cry with a hacking cough.

"Mum! Mutha!" Alice screamed, grabbing the doorknob. It burned her hand as she opened the door. A hot blaze greeted her, and her parents were nowhere in sight. I could hear them, however.

"Get out, Alice!" her father yelled. "Save yourself!"

"Get out of the house!" her mother screamed.

I grabbed the girl around the waist, and I quickly ran from the door.

"Mutha!" Alice screamed with a sob.

"We have to get out!" I shouted to her over the roaring fire. It was spreading into the hall, so I rushed back into Alice's room. Everything there was on fire too. I could hear Alice's parents screaming in pain as they were being burned alive. There was nothing I could do for them. I could only save the crying Alice in my arms. I looked to the window, and I made a break for it. The window was still closed, so I jumped through the glass. Pain stabbed into my neck and shoulders as we fell to the snowy ground. We landed hard, and small shards of broken glass rained down on us. After the small shower of glass, Alice clutched her rabbit to her chest and began to sob. I sat up and looked at the now enflamed house. I could hear the screaming of Alice's parents and older sister. They were dying, and I didn't know if the fire department was on their way. 

I looked at the girl. She looked so horrified. I reached out to comfort her.

"Alice…"

Then, I heard a loud snapping, and I turned back to the house. It was falling apart, and one enflamed wall fell towards us. 

Alice and I screamed as the burning wood landed on top of us…

~~~~~

…And I woke up.

I just lay there on my back and breathed. I didn't dare move. The dream was so real…

Then, I realized there was an open book on my face, so I reached up and took it away. It revealed the boarding room I was staying in at a Bed and Breakfast in London. It was night, and it was raining outside. I had fallen asleep, reading the book in bed. This book was rather special. I found it in a dresser drawer in my room. It was a Rutledge Institution medical journal titled "Alice" after a patient in the asylum. It was dated "November 11, 1863" and was written in by a "Dr. William." I had read the book cover to cover at least ten times, and each time sent a shiver up my spine.

"Alice" was the same little girl I dreamt about. After her parents died and her house burned down, she was sent to a hospital to treat her burns. During that time, she had slipped into a silent madness. She had turned herself into a vegetable, shutting herself away into her mind, not interacting with the outside world whatsoever. So, she was sent to the Rutledge Institution for mental treatment. The poor girl spent the rest of her life in the asylum with her stuffed rabbit… She wasted away in her bed in the year 1875.

Such an amazing story to look at a couple hundred years later…

The poor girl shut herself away in her Wonderland…

What had become of that enchanting world…?

Suddenly, my heart started to pump slower and start to ache. I broke into a sweat. I grabbed my chest and tossed under the sheets of my bed. Sitting next to the pillow, staring at me with button eyes, was the stuffed rabbit. It was Alice's. I had bought it in an auction yesterday. I spent the whole day cleaning and repairing the dusty, old thing. 

And since yesterday, weird things started happening…

I would hear voices, or see writing, calling to Alice…

People off the streets seemed to talk to me about Wonderland…

I would see something strange in the mirror, beckoning me to come save it…

I had no idea what was going on…

Suddenly, my chest felt like it was on fire. I screamed, and my hand clutched something near me. I pulled whatever it was to me as I squirmed. It was the rabbit. I held it close as my other hand clutched the sheets. I breathed heavily, hearing my heartbeat in my ears. Sweat was drenching my hair. I looked at the rabbit as I stewed in agonizing pain. The stuffed creature suddenly moved its head to look at me.

"Save our Alice!" it seemed to shout.

I screamed again, this time in fear.

Suddenly, I felt like I was falling…

Everything got dark…

And my journey to save my sanity began…

~~~~~

Just one more fight   
About a lot of things   
And I will give up everything   
To be on my own again   
Free again   
Yeah   
This time I'm 'a let it all come out   
This time I'm 'a stand up and shout  
I'm 'a do things my way   
It's my way   
My way, or the highway   
Some day you'll see things my way   
Cause you never know   
Where, you never know   
Where you're gonna go   
(_Check out, check check... out my melody)_   
Just one more fight   
And I'll be history   
Yes I will straight up   
Leave your shit   
And you'll be the one who's left   
Missing me   
Yeah   
This time I'm 'a let it all come out   
This time I'm 'a stand up and shout   
I'm 'a do things my way   
It's my way   
My way, or the highway   
Some day you'll see things my way   
Cause you never know   
Where, you never know   
Where you're gonna go   
_(Check out, check check... out my melody)_   
  
  
~ "My Way" by Limp Bizkit


	2. Village of the Doomed - Dementia

__

To the Looking-Glass world it was Alice that said  
"I've a scepter in hand, I've a crown on my head.   
Let the Looking-Glass creatures, whatever they be  
Come dine with the Red Queen, the White Queen and Me!"

Then fill up the glasses as quick as you can,  
And sprinkle the table with buttons and bran:  
Put cats in the coffee, and mice in the tea--  
And welcome Queen Alice with thirty-times-three!

"O Looking-Glass creatures," quoth Alice, "draw near!  
'Tis and honour to see me, a favour to ear:  
'Tis a privilege high to have dinner and tea  
Along with the Red Queen, the White Queen, and Me!"

Then fill up the glasses with treacle and ink,   
Or anything else that is pleasant to drink:  
Mix sand with the cider, and wool with the wine--  
And welcome Queen Alice with ninety-times-nine!

"To the Looking-Glass World…" ~ Lewis Carroll

~~~~~

****

Ch. 1: Village of the Doomed - Dementia

Before I knew it, I was staring at the roof of an ambulance, and the sirens were blaring at full volume. I had a breather over my mouth, and the paramedics were shouting at each other over my body on the stretcher.

"She's fading fast…"

"Give my the syringe…"

"How's her heartbeat?"

"I can't find her pulse…wait, here it is…"

"Keep it steady now…"

One paramedic shook my shoulder.

"How're doing, ducky?"

"What happened?" I moaned.

"Looks like you had a heart attack, you did. You'll be in the hospital soon, ducky."

I turned my head the other way, and found that I was still clutching the stuffed rabbit. It was once again a lifeless doll. I clutched it tighter as my shoulder was shaken again.

"Hoye, ducky! Listen to me, okay?"

I turned back to the paramedic.

"What now?" I groaned.

"You must save Wonderland, ducky."

"Eh?" I blinked a couple of times. "What did you say?"

"Alice needs help. It's all twisted inside. If you can't save the Wonderland, you'll die just like she did."

"What the hell?!" I cried. I started getting scared. What was he talking about?

The other paramedics were talking strangely too…

"Beware the snark's poisonous spit…"

"Roll the demon dice carefully, or the game turns on you…"

"Note the centipede's tender underbelly…"

"I like mushrooms, but not the kind that bite back…"

"It pays to heed the feline…"

"Do you have the right toys?"

" 'The time has come,' the Walrus said…"

I stared back at the ceiling and breathed hard. I was confused and scared out of my wits. The same thing had happened to me earlier in a bookstore. Everyone spoke absolute nonsense that was somehow connected, all the book titles suddenly changed to "SAVE OUR ALICE" on the covers with the text inside begging me to come to Wonderland. Weird events happened all day yesterday that I was hardly able to concentrate on my vacation. And it was happening all over again! I clutched the rabbit closer to me, and my eyes widened as I began to feel dizzy.

The falling sensation returned as I heard a hiss of knockout gas next to me.

"Down the rabbit hole with you, ducky…"

The ambulance and stretcher disappeared, and I fell more sharply down an abyss of warped space and time. I can't remember how long I fell for, but I landed soon enough on hard ground. Dust billowed around me before settling back onto the dirt. I just lay there in a daze, moaning in tire.

"What the hell is going on?"

I didn't know where I was, but I could hear the creaking of old wood nearby and the air around me smelled distantly like burning glue. I opened my eyes to find myself lying on my back in a patch of fine dirt, and little pink mushrooms were growing around me.

Where did the ambulance go?

I blew out a sigh and pulled myself up to my feet while dusting my clothes off.

I noticed something very peculiar about myself then…

Wait a minute…

I should have been wearing my blouse, dress pants, and loafers…

…but I was now wearing a blue dress draped in an apron, and knee-high black boots with high heels. 

"…" I fumed in anger for a minute. "I'm wearing…a dress…!" For those who don't know me, I hate wearing dresses. Especially anything that had to be worn with a petticoat, which I was also wearing. The blue dress I had on was okay, but the petticoat was cutting my fuse very short. As I threw a mental temper tantrum…

"Ah, there you are, my dear."

"Huh?" I looked up ahead of me, and I blinked a couple of times…

It was a white rabbit just a head taller than I was. He was wearing a top hat and a waistcoat. He looked rather bony and scrawny, but he was walking towards me in a pace that suggested he was fit as a fiddle.

"Who the hell are you?" I demanded.

"Let's not dawdle now, dear girl." The rabbit shook his head. "We're very late indeed."

"Late for what?"

Then, he got down on all fours and started to jump away at a fast speed. Not wanting to be abandoned by my only contact of intelligent life, I began to run after him.

"Oh, no you don't! You get back here right no…what the…?!"

I almost tripped over a cat that suddenly appeared from thin air. It was half my height, had gray fur with black stripes, an earring on one ear, and glowing eyes. It was incredibly scrawny, it's skin was hanging off its bones. It grinned at me with sharp teeth and circled around me, rubbing against my legs.

"And what have we here?" it said to itself in a rich, deep voice. "A stranger in sheep's clothing?"

"And who the hell are you?" I demanded.

"I am a Cheshire Cat, and it looks like you were stolen down a rabbit hole by a devious white rabbit."

"Cheshire Cat, eh?" I raised an eyebrow. "Sounds familiar…"

"And what would your name be?" the cat asked, sitting by my feet.

"Well, I'm Selena…and the craziest shit has been happening to me lately…"

"Come walk with me." The cat invited, getting up and walking foreword. So, I followed him down what looked like a mineshaft, lined with old wood that creaked and groaned with the step of my new boots. I quickly caught up to the cat until I was walking beside it. 

"Um…can I ask you a question? Where am I?"

The cat grinned up at me.

"This…is Wonderland."

I groaned.

"I was afraid you'd say that…well, what is this place?"

"We are walking towards the Village of the Doomed."

"Eh?" I wondered.

Then, we entered a large cavern, and the stench intensified. I plugged my nose as I looked around. The walls were made of a strange rock that looked like a dull purple with mixes of orange. Stalactites covered the ceiling, smaller stalagmites littered the ground. Along the higher walls beyond reach, strange clockworks turned and clicked together to power a distant machine in another cavern. Walking along the cavern were very short people whom I could only identify as gnomes. They were slightly taller than the Cheshire Cat, and not as scrawny, but all of them carried a glowing orb on their backs and they all looked very tired. I dared to keep walking foreword, and the cat cantered beside me. One of the gnomes next to me stopped walking and put his hands on his knees to rest. 

"All hope is lost…" he said to himself woefully, "…our land has been destroyed…our spirit is crushed…"

I knelt down to him.

"What's happened? Why is everyone like this?"

The gnome looked at me with the saddest, most desperate look I've ever seen on a face. Taken aback for a moment, I decided to ask another question.

"What everyone is doing is productive, right? Since you all look very tired and are working hard? You'll feel happier when the ends justify the means, right?"

The gnome shook his head.

"Slavery and happiness do not dwell in the same house." Then, he went on his way, leaving me with a concerned face. I turned to the cat.

"This can't be Wonderland. It's a happy, cheerful and beautiful place…not some…wacko…screwed-over Tim Burton nightmare."

"Ah," the Cheshire Cat began, holding up one thin claw as I would my finger, "the 'happy, cheerful and beautiful place' is where you are now. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, Selena. I will admit, Wonderland did change for the curiouser after the fire (and we have the Queen of Hearts to blame for that), but it is the very same Wonderland."

I fully sat down on the ground, letting my skirt cover my legs, and I glared at the cat.

"Okay, Cat. I wanna hear everything. How did Wonderland get this way? Why am I here? Why am I in a slave-crawling hellhole? Why am I wearing a dress of all things? And if I'm in Wonderland, where's Alice?"

The Cheshire Cat shook his head.

"Curiosity is to a cat as too many questions is to a human."

That took a couple of seconds to register, then I nodded in agreement.

"Oh, okay. So, can you at least tell me what I'm doing here?"

"Here, at the moment, you are sitting in the dirt."

Here's one for physics. Selena's Law: one smartass plus another smart-ass equals much anger and heated arguments.

"Alright, wise ass! Why am I in Wonderland? Do you know?"

"I have a vague idea…" he admitted. "But it was the rabbit who brought you here. Why don't you ask him your questions?"

"I think I will." I decided, standing up. "Uh, where'd he go?"

"That way." He waved his paw over to his right. I looked in that direction, seeing pits of open caverns bridged by wood planks teetering over deep canyon drops. I snorted.

"Well, off I go." I decided, heading in that direction. "Thanks, Cheshire Cat."

"Certainly." The Cat grinned. "I can be of service to you, if you wish it. Just give me a ring, and I'll come with advice."

And with that, he disappeared.

I rolled up a sleeve of my dress, and stomped on foreword.

"Well, here I go." I mumbled to myself to keep myself from blowing into a confused rage. "I'm on my way…from misery to happiness today…uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh…" Then, I broke into song, still trying to stay calm and remind myself that it was all just some kind of dream. 

"I'm on my way, from misery to happiness todaaaaaaaay-hey-hey-hey-hey! I took the road, that led me to your hometown! I took the bus, to streets that I can walk down…"

~~~~~

It took a lot of walking around and exploring until I found the actual village. There were some houses and shops planted firmly on wooden docks over a deep canyon. At the bottom of the canyon was a long river of some liquid that was giving off the burning glue smell. I could also see down there knife sharp stalagmites. If I didn't watch my step, I would either end up a smelly mess, or a human shishcabob.

Yuck.

One of the gnomes was sitting next to his house, and he was quick to notice me.

"Are you a stranger?" he asked.

"Isn't that obvious?" I shrugged.

"Stir up no trouble, then." The gnome advised. "The Queen doesn't take kindly to strangers and her agents are ruthless."

I blinked a couple of times. 

"You mean this 'Queen of Hearts,' right? The cat told me a little about her. Is she the one who made you all slaves?"

"Aye." He nodded. "Be wary, if she doesn't give you a merciful death, she may give you a hellish slave life."

"I'd like to see her try." I dared. "No one is going to take away my freedom."

"She may already have." The gnome sighed.

"Hm?" I blinked. Heeding that warning, I continued on my way. 

A strange whispering sound in my ear stopped me short. I turned over my shoulder, seeing a faint light behind the gnome's house. Curious, I walked behind the house towards the light. I saw, embedded in a giant pink mushroom like the sword in the stone, was a glowing butcher knife. It sounded like it was whispering to me, urging me to take it. I don't know what came over me, I just couldn't resist.

I closed my hand around the handle and pulled the knife out of the mushroom. It stopped whispering as I held it up to look at it. Etched onto the blade was the word "VORPAL."

"A Vorpal blade?" I wondered, giving it a couple of swings. "Not bad…"

Here's another thing about me some may not know: I'm a professional martial arts fighter. I have a black belt in Tae-Quan-Do and Kung Fu, so I can kick anyone's butt. I don't necessarily have a violent streak, but if I'm pushed hard enough I will fight back. And even though my hands move quicker than any eye…I suck with weapons, except for staffs.

A butcher knife wouldn't be much help to me.

I sheathed it around the cloth belt of my apron, and continued on my way.

"I hope that rabbit didn't go too far…" I sighed to myself. "I've got a lot to ask…" I started scaling some wooden stairs, and low and behold, who do I see on the top stair…?

"Well, come along, dearie! We're so very late!"

"Rabbit!"

I zipped up the stairs, and I tackled him to the ground. I sat on his back, pinning him beneath me.

"Alright, buddy. You better answer every question I have, or else I'll clean out more than your clock!"

"Please, please don't do this!" the rabbit cried, squirming under me and trying to get away. "We don't have the time!" 

"Why did you bring me here?!" I shouted as he tried to crawl away and dragging me with him. "What is the deal with this place?! I wanna go home!"

"You're free to go whenever you wish," the rabbit whimpered, "but you must come back. The longer you stay away from Wonderland, the more of your sanity her Majesty will steal. You must save Wonderland. You must carry on where Alice failed."

"But why me?!" I demanded. "Why am I the one who has to…" He suddenly wiggled out of my grasp, and accidentally kicked my face with his feet.

"I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" he shouted, hopping away. I quickly got up and chased after him. 

"Get back here, you giant fuzzball!"

I chased him towards another rock wall. He stopped in front of a door the size of a mouse hole when I caught up to him.

"Ah-ha! Got ya cornered, bunny boy!" I shouted at him.

Suddenly, he shrunk to the size of a mouse. With a tip of his thimble-sized top hat, he opened the door and ran through. I pounced for it.

"Oh, no you don't! Get back he…OOF!"

The door had closed, smashing into my face and making me drop to the dusty ground. I rubbed my nose with one hand, and opened the door with the other. I reached through the door, feeling thick blades of grass.

"Hey, rabbit! Come back here! Listen, I'm not a resident here, I need some sense explained to me! Just tell me what you meant by…"

CRUNCH!

"YEOOOOOOW!"

I pulled my hand out of the door, and found a centipede as long as my hand clamping on my finger with its pincers. I shook my hand viciously until it let go and crawled back through the door. I slammed the small door angrily as I popped my bitten finger in my mouth.

"Damn…now what?"

Then, the Cheshire Cat appeared to my left, and I turned to him in relief.

"Oh, thank God you're here…"

"Having trouble already, dear?"

"Don't call me 'dear,' I hate it when people do that. And yes, I am having trouble." I waved my hand to the door. "Is there a way for me to get through here?"

The cat grinned.

"Many a traveler seldom find the way through, some don't recognize it when they do, some don't ever want to."

Not knowing what exactly he meant, I nodded.

"Thanks, I think…"

"My pleasure." 

Then he vanished again.

I propped up my elbows.

"God damn it, can any of this get any stupider?"

I felt something tap my shoulder and I turned around sharply.

"What?!…the hell is that?!?!!!"

Standing over me was a guy as thin as paper and dressed as a club suit poker card. He wore a nasty stare on his ugly face, and he was holding a nasty looking spear. He suddenly thrusted that spear towards me. I quickly dodged it, and the sharp end of the spear struck the wall instead of me.

Now here is where my skills really shine.

I grabbed the spear and pushed on it, jabbing him hard in the chest with the blunt end of his weapon. He was pushed away with a grunt, and I ran out into open space for more room. The guy chased after me with his spear in hand. I lowered into a kung fu stance and waited.

The card swung at me, but I grabbed the spear with my left hand and punched him again and again in the face. He stumbled backward and I spin-kicked him several times in the chest. He was knocked over on his back, so I picked him up by the collar of his uniform and held him up in the air.

"What did you attack me for?!" I snarled at him.

"By order of the Queen, any strangers in Wonderland are to have their heads cut off and their meta-essence taken away."

"Meta-whassis?" I blinked.

"The energy that fuels your sanity. Without it, you no longer exist in Wonderland…"

"My sanity?" I roared, flinging him to the ground. I held my knife up in the air. "I refuse to leave here by giving up my sanity! Over my freaking dead body!"

He lunged foreword, and I effortlessly stepped out of his way. I assaulted with a few hits and kicks, but no matter what I did he wouldn't back off. After taking my hardest hits, he still kept coming.

__

I don't get it! I thought to myself. _He should be seeing stars and birdies by now. What do I do?_

Then, I remembered I was still holding the knife. I rolled my eyes, not believing how thick was becoming.

__

Duh!

I wielded the knife in front of me.

"Don't force me to kill you, man."

He still kept coming at me.

"By order of the Queen!" the guard shouted. "Off with her head!"

He thrust the spear at me again, and I lunged for his unguarded side. I stabbed the knife into him, and slashed outward. Thick gobs of blood splattered on the ground and on my apron.

I only meant to cut him open…

…but he was so thin, I accidentally cut him completely in half.

His bloody remains laid at my feet as I stared at what I did in horror.

"Oh no…I killed him…I didn't mean to…oh no…"

Then, small orbs of light rose from the remains and seeped through my skin. All of my pain was gone, and I felt a lot better. I looked down at the knife, noticing that it was slightly bloodstained but still kept it's shine. I also felt stronger and I no longer regretted the kill.

"Whoa…" I gasped. "What's going on?! I feel great! What was that stuff?"

The Cheshire Cat appeared in front of me.

"Meta-essence is the life force of Wonderland. That of your enemies is extremely potent. Collect what you can; use it wisely."

Flashing that usual grin, he disappeared again.

"I'm never going to get used to that…" I groaned.

"Hoo, you are truly amazing!" a gnome who had stopped to watch me hooted. I turned to him and hid the blade behind my back.

"Oh, hello. Uh, move along. There's nothing to see here…"

The gnome looked up at me with wide eyes.

"Are you the savior the rabbit told us about?"

I instantly freaked out.

"SAVIOR?!" I screamed, stumbling backward and falling flat on my rear. "I am nobody's savior!" I shouted at him angrily. "I'm going to strangle that rabbit when I find him!"

The gnome didn't seem phased by my outburst. He just slowly shook his head.

"Well, if you're no savior, you're a slave to the Queen just like everyone else. That's the way it is."

"I'm no one's slave either." I insisted, standing back up. "Don't tell me everyone is a thrall to this queen? There's nothing you can do to free yourself?"

"Are you sure you aren't a savior?! You wouldn't be asking such questions if you weren't."

"…" He had me for a moment, but I did reply to it. "I'm not trying to save anyone, I'm just chasing down a white rabbit so that I can go home." I looked back at the tiny door, then I looked back at the gnome. "Say, maybe you can help me out. Do you know how I can get smaller? Big enough to get through that door?"

He looked at the door.

"Calls for some serious twisting. You'll have to go sideways, not foreword. If I knew how, I would go sideways myself."

I shook my head.

"I don't wanna be twisted…" _Like this place_, I wanted to add, "…I wanna be shrunk." I measured with outstretched fingers. "About this big. Can I do that here?"

"Aye." The gnome nodded. "The Fortress of Doors holds such secrets, but it'll take the will of a savior to get inside."

I narrowed my eyes at him. 

"Shut up about the 'savior' stuff, already." I warned. "I am nobody but nobody's savior, got it?"

The gnome nodded.

"Good luck to you, miss." Then, he walked away to keep working. I walked back to the door, and made several thinking faces.

__

Fortress of Doors…sideways, not forewords…

I looked to my right, and I spotted another mineshaft. It was the only way for me to go.

I sighed through my nose.

"I wanna go home!" I whined, walking into the mineshaft. I looked around, then called out nice and loud: "Hey, Cat?!"

He appeared, walking beside me.

"You seem to be getting stuck frequently, dear Selena."

"I'm not stuck, I just don't know how to get to where I'm going."

He smiled slightly.

"Well, knowing where you're going is preferable to being lost, I agree. And it is good to ask around."

"Where's the Fortress of Doors?"

"It lies to the west in a chasm of complete darkness. The Fortress is a place where Time and Space live in the same house and constantly fight each other for domination. You will have trouble getting inside."

"Space and Time? What the…?" I blinked, then shrugged it off. I hate things that speak in riddles. "I don't think the 'getting in' part is the problem. If it's a fortress of doors, I just have to open one and walk in, right?"

He shook his head.

"Doors have locks, locks need keys…which you don't have. Let's just hope the doors are open."

I thought about that for a minute. Finally, he said something that made sense!

"True. But you don't always need a door to walk in somewhere. I have my wit; I'll think of something. Thanks for tipping me off."

"Glad to be of help."

Then, he vanished.

"God, that is driving me nuts!" I growled. "I'd wish he'd make up his mind whether he's here or not…"

I climbed up several up-slopping wood plank bridges to reach the next mine shaft. All I know was that I was headed to the Fortress of Doors, and not much else.

I spied another gnome ahead of me, and I jogged to him.

"Hey, can you give me a moment of your time?"

The gnome shook his head.

"I don't have any moments to spare ye. I'm fresh out, I am."

I sighed heavily.

"Ooooh-kaaaaay…can you help me out, please?"

The gnome squinted at me.

"Rabbit told us a champion would come. Are you that champion?"

"Hell no. Can you get me into the Fortress of Doors?"

"Oh no…wouldn't dare." He shook his head. "With the card guards patrolling for trouble, I can barely risk crossing the road." I thought I saw a gleam in his eye as he continued. "But…if you go into the deepest pit of the mines, you'll find the eldest of the villagers. He still lives free.

"Where's this pit?"

He pointed in the direction I was going. I thanked him and went on my way. I was about to enter a place where a pointing sign labeled "YUR MINE," when I heard something behind me.

It sounded like a woman's voice whispering to me…

__

"A stranger not of Wonderland… Her meta will do nicely… Come to me, child…" 

I turned around, but no one was behind me. I bit my lip before continuing on.

__

Okay then…weird. But I know that voice from somewhere…

When I came out of the mineshaft, the stench overpowered me, and I stumbled over on my back…

~~~~~

…when I felt I landed, my eyes fluttered open and I found myself staring up at a white ceiling. I was in some kind of building, and not in a stinky mine shaft. I turned my head slightly, and found I was in a hospital bed. I groaned as I turned my head back up to the ceiling.

__

That was the funkiest dream I ever had…Disappearing cats, killer cards the size of men, annoying rabbits, and butcher knives in mushrooms…getting small, a Fortress entirely of Doors, and slaves of some kind of Queen of Hearts…

I've got to stop eating my own cooking…

I should have known that my journey would still be continuing after that no brainer…


	3. Village of the Doomed - Pandemonium

Just a quick warning to those reading this who have already played the game! I'll be adding one or two origional characters to Wonderland. Jack is one of them. And I believe I forgot to mention in the other chapters this:  
  
American McGee's Alice and related characters are (c) American McGee, EA Games, Rogue Entertainment, and anyone else it may belong to.  
  
Selena Lawless is (c) me Masquerade, and cannot be used by other authors without permission  
  
Now then, on to the madness!  
  
*******  
  
_`You are old, Father William,' the young man said,  
  
`And your hair has become very white;  
  
And yet you incessantly stand on your head--  
  
Do you think, at your age, it is right?' `In my youth,' Father William replied to his son,  
  
`I feared it might injure the brain;  
  
But, now that I'm perfectly sure I have none,  
  
Why, I do it again and again.' `You are old,' said the youth, `as I mentioned before,  
  
And have grown most uncommonly fat;  
  
Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door--  
  
Pray, what is the reason of that?' `In my youth,' said the sage, as he shook his grey locks,  
  
`I kept all my limbs very supple  
  
By the use of this ointment--one shilling the box--  
  
Allow me to sell you a couple?'  
  
  
  
Chapter 2: Village of the Doomed - Pandemonium  
  
A Dr. Farly came in to check on me an hour later. He was smiling at my open eyes.  
  
"Welcome back to the world, darling." he greeted.  
  
"It's good to be back." I mumbled.  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
"Nothing. I just woke up from a bad dream. Where am I? What happened?"  
  
Dr. Farly picked up a clipboard with a thick stack of papers attached.  
  
"Well, from what I understand...your name is Selena Lawless, a 25 year old medical student at Maryland University in the United States. You were born in Ireland, then you worked as a technology engineer and playwrite in Tokyo, Japan. Then, you enrolled at the Maryland University of Medicine in the states to study medicine, then you came here to London for a two week vaca..."  
  
"I know who I am!" I snapped. "Tell me what I'm doing here!"  
  
"There, there. Last night in your room at a Bed and Breakfast, you suffered from a heart attack. The ambulence brought you here in time..." He flipped through a few papers and scratched his head. "...but by then, you seemed to have gotten into a coma. Nothing we did caused you to even twitched. You were breathing and your heartbeat was normal, but otherwise you looked dead. Good to see you're okay, darling. You gave us all a fright."  
  
I had to smile. I couldn't help it.  
  
"I tend to surprise everyone I meet." My smile faded away. "So, what caused the heart attack? My cholestoral is okay, I exercize daily, plus I think I'm a little young..."  
  
"Well," the doctor bit his lip as he flipped through more papers, "it's not because cholestoral is clogging your bloodflow... You've caught a very nasty virus."  
  
"Virus?"  
  
"So far, it's only known as 'Hemomaxus.' It's been around for a couple years, so it is new. Well..." He seemed hesitant to tell me. As I started to wonder why, he finally continued. "It does the opposite that cholestoral does to the arteries. Instead of blocking them, it opens the arteries wider and forces more blood into the heart than it could handle. Essentially, the blood seeps into your lungs, and..." He took in a breath. "...leads to suffication."  
  
"In other words, I'll be drowned in my own blood." I concluded. The doctor looked surprised. "I go to Maryland University of Medicine, Dr. Farly. I've heard of this, and I know there's a cure."  
  
"Yes. You're in luck, we have a small stock in this building. Fortunantly, your case is still in its early stage, so one bottle of the formula should be enough. However, it is really expensive."  
  
"I don't care about the cost. My life is at stake here."  
  
"I understand." Dr. Farly smiled. "Well, I'll be right back with it then. Sit tight."  
  
He closed the door, and left me alone in the room.  
  
Well...I wasn't entirely alone...  
  
...the stuffed rabbit was still in my hand...  
  
*******  
  
He came right back with a huge bottle capped with a plastic dose-taker. The doctor also handed me the receipt for me to sign, so I borrowed a pen from him and scribbled my name.  
  
"I'll put it on my Capital One card." I told him. He accepted that.  
  
"The innkeeper's wife to the Bed and Breakfast called. She will pick you up later today."  
  
"Pick me up?" I blinked.  
  
"You are free to leave, darling. You can go back to your boarding room. However, get plenty of rest, and take the medicine before eating anything at all. Come and see me again in a week for a check up."  
  
"Thank you, Dr. Farly."  
  
"Most welcome. And I like that rabbit there. Did you make it?"  
  
I looked at the stuffed rabbit still cradled under my arm.  
  
"Oh, no. I won it at an aution yesterday... er, two days ago. I like him a lot."  
  
"Does he have a name?"  
  
"I haven't thought of one yet."  
  
"Did you bid a lot of money on him?"  
  
"Yeah. I won him at seven hundred pounds."  
  
"I'm sure it was worth it."  
  
I nodded with a smile.  
  
"So, would you like anything while you're waiting for your ride, darling?"  
  
"Can I watch TV?"  
  
"Good show." he nodded. He walked to the wall mounted TV, and turned a dial. The screen flickered on, showing the news. I smiled again.  
  
"That's fine. Thank you."  
  
"See you in a week, Selena."  
  
Then, the doctor left, but this time for good.  
  
My eyes were glued to the news for the next fifteen minutes, but I wasn't really paying attention. I think I remember something about asylum patients being at an all time high in England before my head started to throb suddenly. It felt like I had a beating heart in my head. My heart in my chest got sore every now and then, but it didn't hurt as bad. I lay back a little further into the pillow, and sat my rabbit on my stomach.  
  
"So much for my vacation...aw man..."  
  
I started becoming aware of the familiar smell of burning glue around me...  
  
*******  
  
It felt like no time when the innkeeper's wife came to pick me up. Her name was Mirium McCoy, and she helped her husband run the Bed and Breakfast. They had two wonderful children: fifteen-year-old Jon, and six-year-old Lisa. They weren't with her when she came to pick me up; they were at school.  
  
"Alright then, Selena?" she asked as she walked through the door.  
  
"Yeah." I gulped, sitting up. "Ready?"  
  
"Only if you are, dearie."  
  
So, we walked to her car. The traffic was really bad, so it would be a long ride back to the inn. I lay down in the back, hogging the back seat with no guilt while Mirium got behind the wheel. We drove into the traffic, and I closed my eyes as my headache began to get worse. I closed my eyes and rubbed my head with one hand.  
  
__What is happening to me? Why do I hurt so bad?  
  
Suddenly, the stench from before burst in my face! My eyes popped open...  
  
*******  
  
...and I found myself staring out into a huge cavern where the stench was absolutely overpowering. I was standing on one of two wooden planks fifty feet above a huge chasm of thick, green liquid. That was where the smell was coming from. It looked like a huge lake with no bridges, and two stepping stones that were very far apart. Two long vines were dangling from the ceiling, one of them was right in front of me.  
  
The scenery was getting familiar...  
  
"Oh no...not this dream again...but where am I? I don't remember any of this..."  
  
I felt a prescence behind me, and I turned to see the Cheshire Cat, grinning as always.  
  
"You were headed for the deepest pit of the Yur Mines to get to the Fortress of Doors, were you not?"  
  
I blinked a couple of times.  
  
"Wait a minute...yeah, I remember..."  
  
It was starting to click...  
  
"I'm right back where I left off...dreams don't do that...what kind of dream is this?"  
  
The cat shook his head.  
  
"You have not fallen into a dream, Selena. Dreams cannot hurt you, nightmares cannot kill you, but Wonderland can." He pointed at the knife sheathed at my side. "Your knife is neccesary, but not sufficent. Always collect what's useful. Reject your ignerence, and you may survive..."  
  
I put a hand on the handle of the knife.  
  
"So...this isn't a dream...but it can't be real! I was just in the car a while ago with a killer headache..."  
  
I looked back at the cat. He was still smiling at me. That was getting annoying.  
  
"Don't you ever frown? Wipe that smile off your face!"  
  
"I can do better." the cat chuckled. "I can wipe my face off my smile." His body disapeared, leaving everything behind except his toothy, grimy grin.  
  
I was the one doing the frowning.  
  
"Alright, I'll play along with this. I'll save your Wonderland. Now, what do I have to do? Where's this guy I have to find?"  
  
The cat snickered.  
  
"Don't ask me all your questions, for even I don't have all the answers. You have the answers, you have to look around and find them."  
  
I tapped my foot angrily.  
  
"I hate people who try to piss me off."  
  
His body reapeared.  
  
"You should be going along your way now. You don't have much time."  
  
I looked back at the lake scene. I had to get across to the other side of the cavern, but I had no way to get across the smelly lake.  
  
"Do you have a straight-foreword answer as to how to get across this lake? I hope I don't have to swim..."  
  
The cat brushed a dust cloud from the plank onto the liquid. The dust particles disapeared in a boiling fury. I bit my lip.  
  
"Yikes...so what do I do?"  
  
"Hanging vines are just as helpful as stepladders...if you know how to use them."  
  
He disapeared.  
  
"But how do I..."  
  
I was too late, he was gone.  
  
I huffed angrily.  
  
"Prick."  
  
I looked at the hanging vines. There was one right in front of me, so I reached out and grabbed it. I looked around, trying to figure out how this would go.  
  
"Looks like I have to swing across... But I won't make it to the other side on this..." I looked at the second vine and thought for a minute. "No way. I ain't swinging for that...but it's closer than the plank...oh man, how can this get any harder...?"  
  
I clung to the vine with my hands and legs, then I noticed something was wrong. I looked down at my clothes, and found that I was once again in that damn blue dress and apron.  
  
"Spoke too soon..."  
  
Well, dress or no dress, I had to get to the other plank. I sucked in a reluctant breath, and I started swinging my feet to pick up momentum.  
  
After a while, I got the vine moving at a nice pendelum swing. The problem was...I couldn't reace the other vine this way. I really had to jump for it.  
  
"Dammit!" I shouted. "This isn't fair! Why can't things go my way for a change!?" Keeping my eyes glued to the other vine, I prepared to jump. My hands were sweating and I was breathing heavily. I was scared.  
  
'What if I don't make it? What if I fall into that lake and boil?  
  
'Cut that out, Selena! You can do this!  
  
'At least, I hope I can...'  
  
I made a final swing toward it...  
  
...and I lept with outstretched arms...  
  
...and I caught the other vine!  
  
"YES!" I cried in happiness. I slid down to the rock below me to catch my breath. "Oh my God, that was scary! Gotta breathe, gotta breathe..."  
  
"Who's there?!" a gruff voice snarled from the dock. I jumped up to the plank and looked around. I saw another gnome, only this one was very different from the others. He had a crooked back, a long beard like Santa Clause, pointed shoes like an elf, and a nightcap styled hat. He was holding a smoking pipe in one of his hands.  
  
He must have been the village elder who still lived free of bondage!  
  
I approached.  
  
"Hey there, eldest. I've been looking for you."  
  
He scowled at me.  
  
"Why would you pursue me to this stinkhole?"  
  
"I need a word from the wise." I explained. "I have to get to the Fortress of Doors."  
  
"And you came to ME of all people?" he huffed. "I'm not wise, girl. I've just grown old."  
  
I narrowed my eyes at him.  
  
"You're the only one who can help me right now. The rabbit ran off, the damn Cheshire Cat won't give me a straight answer if I ask where the bathroom is, and no one else makes sence..."  
  
"Why do you need to go to the Fortress of Doors?"  
  
"I want to shrink to a small size..." I measured with my fingers. "...about this big. I can find out how at the fortress. Can you help me?"  
  
"Hmm..." the old man thought as he sucked on his pipe. "I suppose I could get you there...for a price."  
  
I bit my lip. Uh oh...  
  
"I...don't have anything that would be concidered money..."  
  
The old man shook his head.  
  
"You have your health and your wits. Mine are nearly gone. Age and insanity does that to a man, and I smoke too much, you see. I want you to pay me a favor."  
  
"Sure." I shrugged. "What do I have to do?"  
  
"In the card guard's keep is a key that I must possess. Get me the key, and I shall grant you passage to the fortress."  
  
I nodded.  
  
"That doesn't sound too hard..."  
  
*******  
  
I left him where he was, and continued down the cavern. I had a rather good idea where I was going. I figured that a guard's keep would be at the highest point of a slave plot. It would help guards keep track of all the slaves down below, and also keep them safe from uprisings.  
  
I decided to test how well it would do under a one-woman assault.  
  
I found a mine cart on a lift that led up, so I hopped in.  
  
"Where's the up button?" I wondered, scratching my head.  
  
Before I knew it, the lift rose up to take the mine cart and me up to the next level. I shrugged. Fine with me. It jerked as it came up to the rail, knocking me over on my butt.  
  
"Ow!" I cried out. "Damn..."  
  
Then, I felt the cart move slowly foreword...  
  
"Uh oh..."  
  
I sat up just before the cart raced down a steep and twisting track.  
  
"Oh, great..." I mumbled as I was zooming through the caves and down hard twists and turns. "A damn roller coaster..." Nothing bores me more than a roller coaster, don't ask me why. Actually, I like the skill of not being effected by racing up and down in a seat. I can think more clearly at high speeds. So, I was heading along the rather quick and bumpy ride, wondering how I could get to the guard's keep from where I would be dropped off.  
  
Wait a minute...where would I be dropped off?  
  
I looked further up the track, and I caught a very strong whiff of the acid in front of me. The track disapeared off a very steep cliff...  
  
...and I was about to go down with it!  
  
"Aw, man!" I groaned, standing up. "I hate having to do this..." I quickly jumped from the cart and landed sharply on the ground. "OW!"  
  
I got up just in time to watch the cart go over the edge of the cliff. I walked to the edge to see the cart splash in a river of acid, and completly disolve. I shook my head.  
  
"Unforgiving place, this is."  
  
I turned to look around, and there's another card guard right in my face! I quickly pulled out the knife, and blocked a stab from his spear. I grabbed his throat with my other hand and squeezed. He coughed as he started to loose air.  
  
"Where is the guard's keep?" I asked. "I'll let you live if you tell me."  
  
"You're here." he gagged.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
I dropped him and continued onward. Right on the edge of the cliff I was on was a huge building with candle-lit windows.  
  
"Hmm...so this is it? It's a little big for a keep..."  
  
"HEY!" I heard the guard behind me shout. "INTRUDER!"  
  
"Shut up!" I shouted, flinging the knife at him.  
  
I only meant to hit his foot...  
  
...how the hell did I slice his head off instead?  
  
He fell to the ground in a bloody mess and his meta-essance was absorbed into my body.  
  
"Oh no..." I gasped. "I did it again...dammit..."  
  
The Cat appeared beside me.  
  
"You are much to lenient, Selena."  
  
I glared at him.  
  
"I didn't mean to kill him! I don't want to kill anyone!"  
  
The cat shook his head.  
  
"Understand, dear girl. From the moment you arrived here, you are the enemy of the Queen. Everything in Wonderland that serves her will be thirsting for your blood. Build some mettle if you wish to survive."  
  
"So, it's kill or be killed?"  
  
"Aye."  
  
I held up my knive.  
  
"And I'm supposed to fend off guards with just THIS?!"  
  
"Here." the cat offered, holding out one paw. "A new toy for you to play with." A small swirling light floated above his paw, then turned into the object he wanted to give me.  
  
I made a flat face as I looked at his "gift."  
  
"A deck of playing cards?"  
  
The cat grinned before reciting a little poetry:  
  
"These cards aren't for playing,  
  
"They're much sharper and flatter,  
  
"But when the deck slices and dices,  
  
"Then they are no laughing matter."  
  
I took the cards as he vanished.  
  
I leaned against a wall and looked over the cards. Each one was the size of my hand, as thick as credit cards, and had edges as sharp as the butcher knife. I shuffled through the deck to look at the cards, and I noticed something.  
  
"Weird. There's 51 cards..."  
  
I checked to see what was missing, and I half chuckled at my discovery.  
  
"The Queen of Hearts card is gone..."  
  
*******  
  
Behind the first door of the keep was another door. I took in a deep breath, and kicked it open. Just as I expected, three guards were right in front of me. Expecting them, I acted quickly. With my card dealing hand, I flung three cards at them. Their heads came off clean without one blood splatter, but when they fell over the blood oozed out. I flicked my hand, and the three cards appeared back in their deck. The meta of the dead guards seeped into me as I slowly continued on.  
  
"Not bad." I admired my deck of deadly playing cards. "I guess I'll hang onto these." I put them in a pocket of my apron. "I'll use the knife, though. I need a handle to hold onto."  
  
I turned down a hall, heading for the main room. Suddenly, something zipped past my face and grazed my cheek. It burned! I side-stepped away too late, and put my fingers to my cheek.  
  
Then, I spotted the culprit.  
  
It was a card guard, but this one was dressed as a red diamond suit. He held a spear in his hands, but the end was tipped in a pinwheel of spinning blades. He swung the spear at me, and from the spinning blades shot a red card. I dodged it easily, and smirked.  
  
"So, I'm not the only one who knows that trick..."  
  
"By order of the Queen!" the card yelled, flinging another attack at me. "Off with her head!"  
  
I dodged that shot too. I arched my arm back, and then quickly brought it foreword. That movement flung the knife at the guard, and I ended up slicing him in half. His meta flowed into my body as I looked around for the key.  
  
I found something like it on a table in the main room. It was a ghoolish resembling item: a skull wiht a bony forearm stuck in its jaw. Fingers on the hand made up the teeth of the key. It was probably what that old man wanted.  
  
"A skeleton key, eh?" I smiled. "Cute." I put it in my pocket. "Now, how do I get it to the old man? I can't take a mine cart back..." I sat in a chair by the table. Why not? There were no other guards left in the keep. "Hey, Cheshire Cat?"  
  
He appeared, sitting on the table.  
  
"You rang?"  
  
"How do I get back to the hanging vines place from here?"  
  
Rather than a grin this time, he just gave me a smug smile.  
  
"If you find yourself stuck with no back door to retreat, then go through the door in front of you."  
  
"What door?"  
  
"That one." He pointed his claw over my shoulder. I looked up to see a door on a small flight of stairs.  
  
"I don't remember that being there..."  
  
"You didn't see it."  
  
I stood up and put two annoyed hands on my hips.  
  
"If it was there, I would have seen it! So, don't give me that shit!"  
  
He gave me a chuckle of pride.  
  
"No wonder why you were chosen. Everything about you is like my young Alice. The look, the attitude, the brutality, even that foul mouth on some occasions."  
  
"You're just saying that cause I'm in a damn blue dress and apron!"  
  
The cat shook his head.  
  
"In Wonderland, you must open everything. Your eyes, your ears, your mind...but not your heart. Toys are weapons, friends are foes, child's play has become a pain in the ass. Trust nothing you see to be what you expect."  
  
"And that includes you?"  
  
He shrugged.  
  
"It is entirely your choice to listen to me or not, but it pays to heed the feline."  
  
"Was that a 'yes' or 'no?' "  
  
"Both."  
  
I was getting annoyed very quickly.  
  
"Never mind." I huffed, heading for the door. "I don't need you to piss me off any more than I am now."  
  
The cat laughed at me as he vanished.  
  
I moaned as I opened the door.  
  
"I am never going to get used to that..."  
  
The stench of the acid punched me right in the face. I pinched my nose as I walked foreword. I was back at the acid lake, and I was standing on the very lip of the smelly liquid. Past the second dock, I saw the old man standing where I left him. He waved to me, then walked through a door opposite of me.  
  
I looked around the lake for any way for me to get to him. Except for those two steps next to the vines, there was no way for me to get across, and those steps were too far apart. I fumed a little.  
  
"Cat!"  
  
He appeared by my side.  
  
"So soon?"  
  
"Nice door..."  
  
"What's wrong now?"  
  
I waved my hand at the lake.  
  
"How the hell am I supposed to cross this?!"  
  
He immediatly answered.  
  
"Only the insane relate pain with success."  
  
"HUH?!" I did not understand at all.  
  
"My riddles are not hard to comprehend. The key is to remember just this: " He grinned his widest grin. "We're all mad here."  
  
He disapeared, and I looked out at the lake.  
  
"What a prick! I don't get it!"  
  
I stared out at the lake, tapping my foot impatiently. I thought of a bazillion ways to get across, and none of them would likely work. The only one with any possibility of succeeding was wading across. The acid was only ankle deep...but that idea quickly left my mind.  
  
__No way! It'll eat all the skin off my feet!  
  
But no matter what I thought up of, no other idea would work.  
  
I was getting pissed.  
  
"Cat..."  
  
He reappeared.  
  
"Is something wrong, dearie?"  
  
"I think I solved your riddle..."  
  
"And?"  
  
"Have you gone mad?! ... Never mind, don't answer that..."  
  
"What's the problem?"  
  
I angrily jutted my finger at the acid lake.  
  
"I am not setting foot in that! I'm gonna die if I do! There has got to be another way around! C'mon, what am I supposed to do?!"  
  
The cat wiped an imaginary tear from his eye.  
  
"Oh, what a sad sight." he sniffed. "The lazy kitten is afraid of getting her feet wet."  
  
"I am not lazy!" I defended. "And I'll 'get my feet wet' but not boiled into a bloody mess!"  
  
The cat shook his head.  
  
"Alice used to say 'risk nothing, gain nothing.' You Americans used to say 'when the going gets tough, the tough get going...' "  
  
"I'm not American, I'm Irish, and I say this!" I yelled, grabbing his neck in my hands. "If you don't help me find a way around this, I'm going to break what's left of your neck!"  
  
He grinned at me, uneffected. Then, he completly disappeared from my hands. I looked around in clear confusion.  
  
I stood back up and sighed hard and heavy.  
  
"Okay, I'm not going to play along anymore! I'm done with this dream! Time to wake up, Selena! Wake up! Time to take your heart medicine! Good morning, Selena! Wake up!"  
  
Something suddenly stabbed into my shoulder, and I screamed in pain! Blood bubbled from my wound, and I stuck my hand over it. It was a shot from a card guard! I looked up at the highest dock above the lake, and I found the culprit.  
  
But he was a card guard...  
  
...he was a human!  
  
He was mostly standing in shadow, but from what I could see was his typical human figure. He had short hair, pale skin, and looked about my height exactly. He was holding a diamond card spear in his two hands.  
  
I glared up at him.  
  
He was bad news with a capital B and N.  
  
He suddenly swung his spear and fired another shot at me. I jumped away from it quickly, keeping my eyes on his figure in the shadows.  
  
"Who are you?!"  
  
He flung another shot at me, and I rolled out of the way.  
  
__I gotta escape...but the only way out is through that acid...  
  
I glared at the door that old man disapeared through, and I stood up angrily.  
  
__Dammit__, I hate this place!  
  
I jumped off the ground and into the acid. It quickly ate through my boots and seeped into my skin! I felt like I was catching on fire! Screaming in pain, I ran for the low dock. The man kept firing at me, but missed while I was still running. I finally reached the dock and pulled myself up and out of the acid. I lay there and breathed in relief. "Oh God, that hurt like hell..."  
  
I looked up at the guy who was shooting at me, and I noticed that he stopped. He was just staring at me. I sat up, since my feet were in too much pain to stand up.  
  
"Who are you?!" I yelled at him. "Tell me!"  
  
He didn't say anything...  
  
...instead, he whistled at someone behind me.  
  
"PHWEEEEE-WEEEEET!"  
  
I turned and saw ten card guards charging foreword. I shook my head.  
  
"They don't learn..." I took the playing cards out of my pocket, and flung ten of them at the guards. Their heads instantly came off, and they became ten bloody messes. Their meta seeped into my body, and all of my wounds were healed. Even my boots were fixed. I stood back up, as the ten playing cards returned to the deck in my hand. I turned back up to the man.  
  
"So, you herded me up here like a sheep to a pack of wolves?" I scorned. "Nice try, but I don't get caught in traps like that so easily!"  
  
The man threw back his head and laughed.  
  
"Huh?" I blinked a couple of times.  
  
He stopped laughing as suddenly as he started.  
  
"So, this is the new Alice?" he asked. "You are just as good as they say. I am impressed, but the Queen has nothing to fear of you."  
  
"So you CAN talk. Tell me who you are!"  
  
The man grinned.  
  
"I am His Royal Highness and the captian of the Queen's guard, Prince Jack of Hearts."  
  
I rolled my eyes.  
  
"So, what card does that make you? A Joker?"  
  
Jack frowned at me.  
  
Before he could say anything, I turned for the door to leave.  
  
"I don't have time for any more crap. I'm outta here!"  
  
As my hand reached for the door, Jack fired a shot just above me head. I froze so that I could glare up at him.  
  
"Selena, you are a coward to run from me and Her Majesty! You have only two choices now! You can prove yourself an infedel to the crown and fight, or you can come peacefully with me to the Queen! It is your choice!"  
  
I wasn't willing to do either.  
  
"I'll give you two choices!" I shouted at him. "Get away from me and leave me alone, or kiss my ass and leave me alone! I've got things to do!"  
  
I opened the door.  
  
"We will meet again on bad terms!" Jack yelled as I walked through. "Count on it, Selena!"  
  
I closed the door behind me.  
  
"Whatever."  
  
The old man was waiting for me on a dock several meters over the village. Tied to the dock was a flying contraption that looked like a hot air balloon tied to a hang glider. The old man looked happy to see me.  
  
"I heard you talking down that snob back there. Are you against the Queen of Hearts?"  
  
"She's got a problem with me, so I guess so."  
  
He sounded happy to hear that.  
  
"Excellent! Finally, someone who can teach her a lesson! Tell me, do you have the key?"  
  
I took it out of my pocket and held it up for him to see it.  
  
"This is it, right?"  
  
"Yes, yes! It is, thank you!" the old man nodded. He jumped onto the glider and started peddaling his feet along the controls. The oval balloon filled with air, and giant bird wings unfolded from its sides and started to flap. "Hop in, then. I'll take you to the Fortress. I'll even help you get small. I know how it's done."  
  
I shrugged, and climbed into a basket in front of the glider.  
  
"I could use all the help I can get." I admitted, sitting down. "Let's go."  
  
"Can I come too?"  
  
I looked back on the dock to see the Cheshire Cat. I beckoned to him.  
  
"Sure. Hop in."  
  
He jumped into the basket and curled up beside me. Then, the glider began to float into the air. We were taken out of the village until we were swallowed by complete darkness.  
  
I turned to the cat.  
  
"So, tell me, am I in trouble with this Queen of Hearts?"  
  
"You are now." he shrugged. "Jack, her brat son, will tell her what a bitch you are."  
  
"I don't care." I shrugged. "I know I'm a bitch." I leaned against the back of the basket. "Jack...the Prince of Hearts..." I muttered to myself. "I feel like I know him from somewhere..."  
  
Suddenly, a huge gust blew from nowhere, and rocked the glider. The cat and I were tossed around the basket.  
  
"Hang on tight!" the old man called. "Looks like the wind is on the Queen's side too!"  
  
The wind was screaming in my ears as I was being shaken hard. I could hear the wind yelling words.  
  
__Selena! Wake up! Selena, please wake up! Selena! Selena...  
  
*******  
  
"...wake up! Oh God, Selena! Please wake up!"  
  
My eyes fluttered open, and I saw Mirium hovering over me with frightened eyes. I moaned, feeling a little sleepy.  
  
"Mrs. McCoy?"  
  
With a relieved cry, she hugged me.  
  
"Oh, you scared me half to death! I thought you died on the way here! Your face looked so cold and lifeless, I wasn't sure you were breathing!"  
  
"I was just asleep." I assured, hugging her back. "I'm fine." She helped me out of the car, and I found that we were parked outside the Bed and Breakfast. She helped me into my room, where I took some of my medicine.  
  
Yuck, it was awful! Thick as syrup and it tasted like gasolean!  
  
"I'll get you something to eat." Mirium offered, leaving me alone in my room. I sat the stuffed rabbit onto my pillow.  
  
"I don't get it..." I muttered. "It's not a dream...but it can't be real..." I looked at my finger, seeing the cut from the centipede bite.  
  
"It can't be real...it just can't be..."  
  
*******  
  
__`You are old,' said the youth, `and your jaws are too weak  
  
For anything tougher than suet;  
  
Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the beak--  
  
Pray how did you manage to do it?' `In my youth,' said his father, `I took to the law,  
  
And argued each case with my wife;  
  
And the muscular strength, which it gave to my jaw,  
  
Has lasted the rest of my life.' `You are old,' said the youth, `one would hardly suppose  
  
That your eye was as steady as ever;  
  
Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose--  
  
What made you so awfully clever?' `I have answered three questions, and that is enough,'  
  
Said his father; `don't give yourself airs!  
  
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?  
  
Be off, or I'll kick you down stairs!'_


	4. Fortress of Doors - Invasion

_A boat beneath a sunny sky  
Lingering onward dreamily  
In an evening of July.......  
  
Children three that nestle near  
Eager eye and willing ear  
Pleased a simple tale to hear........  
  
Long has paled that sunny sky  
Echoes fade and memories die  
Autumn frosts have slain July........  
  
Still she haunts me, phantomwise  
Alice moving under skies  
Never seen by waking eyes...........  
  
_

  
Chapter 3: Fortress of Doors - Invasion  
  
Miriam made some pourage with tea for me. I was starving, so I spooned up every bite and downed the scolding hot tea. Sweet and kind Miriam stayed by my side the whole time.  
  
"I'm so sorry, dearie." she mourned. "I had no idea you would come down with this....."  
  
"Don't apologize." I shook my head, wiping my mouth with a napkin. "It wasn't your fault. I might have gotten it from something I ate or drank downtown. And taking the medicine will cure me when it's time for me to go."  
  
"Well," she sighed, "let me help you take it easy. From now on, you are welcome to family dinners."  
  
My eyes almost popped out of my head.  
  
"What?! Mrs. McCoy, please don't! That wouldn't be fair to the other tenants!"  
  
"I insist."  
  
"You don't have to. I'll just be a burden. You and Mr. McCoy have two children to look after, and they're handfuls enough."  
  
"But I do feel so bad for you. I want to do what I can."  
  
I lay down in my bed, and cuddled the rabbit next to me.  
  
"You don't have to go and do THAT. It wouldn't be a Bed and BREAKFAST then, if you let me have supper here."  
  
She chuckled.  
  
"Please, dearie. It wouldn't cost you extra; it's all out of the kindness on my heart." She clapped her hands once. "Please accept?"  
  
Mothers. Even if they aren't yours, you can't argue with them.  
  
"Alright." I sighed. "Thank you for your kind hospitality, Mrs. McCoy."  
  
She beamed happily.  
  
"Dinner will be ready at eight." she announced. She looked at the bedside. "Half past five....it shall be teatime soon. Rest up, dear."  
  
"Sure." I sighed, sinking my head into the pillow. Miriam left my room with the dishes and closed the door behind her.  
  
As soon as I heard the door snap shut, something pooled into my throat. I sat up and coughed into my hands. When I calmed down, I looked at my hands.  
  
They were slightly splattered with blood.  
  
I rubbed my hands together until the sweat washed them away, then I lay back down.  
  
I held the rabbit up above me, and I looked in its button eyes.  
  
"I'm having the weirdest dreams......but they aren't dreams.....but you were in them..... and I didn't like you very much....."  
  
I hugged it next to me.  
  
"It's kinda weird, though. A lot of it reminded me of the Alice in Wonderland stories..."  
  
I looked to the dresser where I kept the "Alice" medical journal.  
  
"There's no way she can be the same girl........"  
  
**************  
  
Jon and Lisa came home at fifteen after. Those two kids are the greatest. Lisa is a very imaginative school girl with a passion for heroic "save the kingdom" stories, while Jon shares the same interests that I do. Playing with these kids was one of my favorite parts of my vacation. Lisa's stuffed animal tea parties are fun and so are her pretend adventures to save a fantasy land in the neighbor's backyard. Jon and I like the same music, TV shows, books and video games, so conversations were always interesting.  
  
Lisa went upstairs to change out of her school uniform to get ready for tea time. Jon came into my room with a bouquet of flowers and a get-well-soon card.  
  
"Aw, Jon!" I smiled. "Thanks so much."  
  
"Lisa and I were worried about you, so we stopped by a floral to pick you up something." he explained. He smiled at me. God, he was a handsome boy. "Are you feeling better?"  
  
"Yeah." I nodded. "Thank you."  
  
"S'nuthin." he insisted. "I'll put these in a vase for you. Oh, and are you coming to tea time?"  
  
"Of course. I just need to nap for a bit."  
  
"Okay. I'll wake you up when it's time."  
  
He left with the flowers.  
  
I closed my eyes as a headache began to throb along my forehead.  
  
******************  
  
Ding-dong-ding-dong, dong-ding-ding-dong!  
  
I could hear the clock in the living room gonging off the hour. Soon, it began to chime six-o'-clock.  
  
Tea time.  
  
Dong.....dong....dong....  
  
Just before I could get out of the bed........  
  
.......the clock bells suddenly grew deeper......  
  
**....DONG.....DONG....  
  
.....like church bells, or school bells......  
  
****.......DONG.....  
  
******************  
  
****......DONG, DUM, DONG, DUM, DONG, DUM, DUM........ DONG, DUM, DONG, DONG, DONG.......  
  
.......I was back in the basket of the hot air balloon swallowed by darkness. The old man was still peddling foreword and steering the winged contraption to our destination. The cat was sprawled out in my lap, apparently asleep. I was back in the blue dress.  
  
I slammed by head against the back of the basket.  
  
"Oh no, not this again."  
  
"Something wrong, child?" the old man asked.  
  
"What the hell am I doing here?!" I asked myself. "I can't have this dream now, it's tea time!"  
  
"You are free to go whenever you wish." the Cheshire Cat explained, looking up at me. "But your place is kept when you leave, so you can come back to it later. Something of a bookmark in a gigantic book."  
  
"Get off my lap!" I shouted at him, kicking my knees up and pulling my skirt down defensively. The cat took his legerly time stretching his legs then walking off me.  
  
"You were very comfortable, I couldn't resist." he grinned. I scowled at him.  
  
"I'm gonna knock out one of those teeth in your mouth!" I threatened. "Hell, I'll knock 'em all out! You won't be grinning then!"  
  
****......DONG, DUM, DONG, DUM, DONG, DUM, DUM........ DONG, DUM, DONG, DONG, DONG.......  
  
I heard the bells toll louder ahead of the balloon, and I turned my head foreword. Ahead of us, I could see a single cliff jutting out of the darkness, and sitting on the rock was a strange structure. Inside a huge square wall was a building that rocked back and forth. I blinked a little.  
  
"Is this the place?" I asked. "Uh....the Fortress of Doors, right?"  
  
"Yes." the old man nodded. "We have arrived. Inside the fortress is a skool where you can brew a shrinking elixir with the right items."  
  
" 'Items?' "I asked, turning to him."What kind of items?"  
  
"Items! Items, girl!" he coaxed. "You'll know them when you see them. I forgot them myself, but you'll do fine."  
  
I turned to the cat.  
  
"Do you know the ingredients?"  
  
"I am no alchemist or wizard." the cat shook his head. "I can't help you there."  
  
"Okay....." I reluctantly accepted, leaning against the back of the basket. "I'll know 'em when I see 'em. Fine." I looked around. "Is there a place to land?"  
  
"Don't worry about that." the old man insisted. "I'll drop you off somewhere. Oh, and avoid the card guards, if you can. They've been ordered to kill on sight anything suspicious."  
  
I nodded.  
  
Then, something zipped by the balloon, just grazing my head. I ducked down as another of what it was flashed by.  
  
It was a shot from a card guard!  
  
"Dammit!" the old man cursed, and the balloon lurched. "We've been spotted!" I peeked out of the side of the basket at the fortress. Diamond cards were lined up at the wall, shooting red cards at us through their spears. I glared at them.  
  
"Looks like I have to go in swinging to get this over with." I proposed, taking out the knife. "Hey, old man! Swing as close to the wall as you can!"  
  
"Right!"  
  
The balloon took a dive for the north wall, barely missing the line of fire. I stood up in the basket, watching our decent to the wall. I turned to the cat.  
  
"You coming?"  
  
"Of course." he nodded. "Go on now, dearie. I shall catch up with you later." He disappeared promptly.  
  
"You're going to jump?!" the old man asked me, yelling over the noise. "Fine idea! But in the future, you will have to break through such walls! I shall meet up with you inside the skool! Good luck to you!"  
  
I jumped from the basket, and my hands caught a lower ledge of the wall before I could fall into infinite darkness. I looked up and found a hole close to me that was big enough for me to crawl through, so I scaled the wall and slipped through it. I pushed myself through and reached the shadows of the other side. I couldn't see the walkway of the wall above me, could hear the guards talking to each other.  
  
"The balloon floated away!"  
  
"Someone jumped onto the wall!"  
  
" 'Fell into the chasm, he did. We have nothing to worry about....."  
  
Then, a familiar voice spoke up....  
  
"Shut up, you fool! That was Selena! She's alive and inside the fortress!"  
  
It was Jack. He continued.  
  
"Circle around the perimeter and look for any sign of her. She's dressed like Alice, armed and dangerous. It wouldn't hurt to put some men in the skool as well. Remember this: you see her, you kill her!"  
  
"Yes, sir!"  
  
"I'll be patrolling Behind the Wall. Let me know when you find her dead."  
  
"Yes, sir!"  
  
It got quiet after that. They probably left to look for me. I walked along the wall, looking around. Past the wall was another chasm of darkness, but in the middle of it was a cone-shaped ledge with the rocking building perched on the flat surface. It wasn't the building that was rocking; it was the whole damn ledge!  
  
I looked more closely at the building. It looked about three stories tall, with the third floor being the belfry. The bell would ring as the building rocked. There was no drawbridge to get me across the huge wooden doors. A sign above the doors made me frown. Fancy fonted, yellow letters read:  
  
**

  
SKOOL FORE THEE SAMART KYDES  
  


  
"Every word in that sign is spelled wrong." I said out loud. The cat appeared beside me.  
  
"Naturally. All good skools misspell their names on purpose to keep the stupid children away."  
  
"Huh?" I blinked. "Why do that? Kids go to school to get smart, don't they?"  
  
"Yes, but only the good skools want the smart children, so they ward off the dumb children with misspelled signs. A dumb child would look at that sign and decide that he wouldn't want to go to a skool that was dumber than he. A smart child will notice this tactic and be accepted."  
  
"But wouldn't dumb kids not know the difference between misspelled words and correctly spelled......"  
  
"I would explain that in full, but now is not the time." The cat shook his head, and then he walked ahead of me. "This way. Come along."  
  
I followed him, keeping an eye out above me for any guards. The cat took me to an archway in the wall, and he motioned to it with his paw.  
  
"Here you go, through one of the many doors. Be warned, you may not like what is on the other side."  
  
I walked through the archway, and then turned back to the cat.  
  
"Like what? A bunch of card guards? Or Jack?" I held up my knife. "I think I'm more than a match."  
  
The cat shook his head sadly, and then recited:  
  


  
"They have a very strange method  
"Of trying to kill you  
"They sneak swiftly up behind  
"And then they yell 'Boo.........' Jum."  
  


  
"Boo......jum?" I blinked. Then, it started to click. "Oh! Boojum! I read about that in Alice's medical journal. It was a word Alice muttered once......" A shiver ran up my spine. I had just realized how many consistencies there were with the journal. Alice had even drawn pictures of the rabbit and the cat........spitting images......  
  
My nerve was starting to disappear.  
  
"Cat?" I asked, my voice shaking. "What's a Boojum?"  
  
"Well, there's one right behind you."  
  
He disappeared as I quickly turned around with my knife ready.  
  
The tip of my knife was pointed at a strange creature. It looked like an old mummy with no wrapping: wrinkled, gray, and rotting. It was dressed in a long, drabby robe with various red symbols scribbled along it. It floated in the air, and had no legs.  
  
_So, this is a Boojum......  
  
It did look creepy, but it didn't look like it was out to kill me. In an attempt to be friendly, I lowered my knife and waved.  
  
"Uh......hello?"  
  
Suddenly, it screamed at me!  
  
**"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"  
  
Oh my God, I felt like I got shot by a bazooka! I was flung into the wall, bleeding from my chest. I quickly got up and ran as the Boojum screamed at me again.  
  
Running farther into the room helped me think. So, a Boojum could kill with its scream, using sonic booms to deplete an enemy.  
  
Great.......just great.......  
  
The Boojum floated after me, and screamed again.  
  
****"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"  
  
It missed me, but it didn't miss the floor. The room began to break in half, like it was under an earthquake. It split beneath my feet, so I quickly jumped away from it. Under the split was the chasm darkness that I did not want to fall into. My half of the room began to lean a little as I got up and tried to run.  
  
****"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"  
  
The Boojum screamed at my back, and I was flung onto a flight of stairs. I crawled up them, feeling pain all over and blood running down my back. I kept climbing up until I reached the second story floor. I could feel my half of the room leaning more and more. I crawled for the edge of the room, leaving a trail of blood behind me. Looking over the broken second floor, I could see my side about to fall away into the darkness. If I went with it, I would plunge to my death.  
  
I glared at my situation.  
  
"Damn, now what do I do?"  
  
Suddenly, the Boojum floated up at my face.  
  
"Oh no...."  
  
****"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"  
  
I was flung back into the wall, and the room leaned even more.  
  
I held up the knife.  
  
"That's it! Now I'm pissed!"  
  
I jumped up as fast as I could and lunged for it. It floated away from me as I swiped, and it zipped around the room at a fly-fast pace. My eyes could barely follow it.  
  
"Jesus Christ....."  
  
It stopped below me.....  
  
****"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"  
  
I was blown into the air, and I toppled from the second floor to the bottom level. It hurt very much, thank you. Bleeding everywhere, I hid behind the stairs. I caught my breath, and let my body stop shaking. I was losing blood, so I couldn't think clearly. I just wanted to get the hell outta here!  
  
**__I can't die now! I'm late for tea time!  
  
I looked across from me and up. Above where I entered was the rest of the second floor, and I saw a door leading out of the room. There were no stairs or any other way to get up there. I looked up at the second floor above me, and back at the second floor across from me.  
  
I couldn't jump it. Way too far.  
  
And that Boojum would just.....  
  
Suddenly, an idea came to me. Yes, it would work if the factors were on my side, and if I didn't get killed first.  
  
I ran to the split and jumped hard. The room evened out for a minute, but hopefully for long enough. I raced up the stairs as the room began to lean back where it was. I stomped my foot hard a couple times so that the Boojum would know where I was, and I ran for the edge.  
  
"Here goes nothing!"  
  
I leaped off the ledge.......  
  
.....the Boojum was right below me......  
  
**"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"  
  
......the force of the scream hit me......  
  
.....and propelled me foreword.......  
  
......until I landed on the other side!  
  
The broken half of the room fell away into the darkness, and I just smiled, happy that I wasn't on it.  
  
The cat appeared as I rolled to my stomach.  
  
"Your sanity is at a very critical level." he reported with some worry in his voice. "You can't leave until it has been replenished....."  
  
"Hold that thought!" I ordered, propping myself up with one hand. I held up my knife in the other hand as the Boojum floated up to us. The Cheshire Cat arched his back and yowled at the beast. I quickly threw the knife!  
  
"DIE!"  
  
Before it could scream, the knife impaled its throat and completely sliced off its neck. It screamed in pain as it disappeared with a flicker of a flame. I waved my hand and the knife reappeared in my grip. The Boojum's meta floated from its remains and seeped into my skin. My wounds healed and the bloodstains disappeared from my dress but not from the apron. I flexed my arms a bit, not feeling any pain at all.  
  
"Much better." I congratulated myself.  
  
"Onward, I suggest." the cat grinned, and then motioned to the door. I opened it and walked through.  
  
"Okay, but can we please hurry this up? I wanna go back as soon as possible. I'm late for......."  
  
***********  
  
".....tea time, Miss Selena!"  
  
I blinked a few times, and then noticed I was still in bed. I looked over at the bedside where Lisa was shaking me awake.  
  
"Lisa? Is it tea time?"  
  
"It's past tea time!" she whined, grabbing my hand. "C'mon now, let's go!"  
  
I looked at my bedside clock.  
  
6:15?!  
  
You bet your ass I was late for tea!  
  
I quickly clambered out of bed and followed Lisa to the dining room. I sat with the McCoy's, sipped tea, and tried my best to engage in lively conversation. I was having a lot of trouble concentrating.  
  
My mind was constantly on Wonderland......  
  
.....and why I was dreaming about that awful place........  
  
***************_

  
_Still she haunts me, phantomwise  
Alice moving under skies  
Never seen by waking eyes........  
  
Children yet, the tale to hear  
Eager eye and willing ear  
Lovingly shall nestle near  
  
In a Wonderland they lie  
Dreaming as the days go by  
Dreaming as the summers die  
  
Ever drifting down the stream  
Lingering in the golden gleam  
Life, what is it but a dream?  
  
~ "Who Dreamed It?" or "Alice Pleasance Liddell", Lewis Carroll___


	5. Fortress of Doors Behind the Wall

_Stand up, and with your hand on the Bible  
Tell the truth to one and all  
'Cause you know that feeling  
When you've got your back against the wall.  
My God, it's only Tuesday tomorrow  
And "Loved One's" gone and blown it all  
Now you've got no money and you feel your back against the wall.  
Well, if you talk to your brothers and they don't give a damn  
And you look like you're gonna fall  
You can call my number when you feel your back against the wall.  
  
_

  
Ch. 4 - Fortress of Doors - Behind the Wall  
  
After tea, Jon and Lisa went back up to their rooms to do their homework. Mirium sent me straight to bed as though I was one of her children. I spent time in bed reading the medical journal about Alice and making notes to myself on a separate sheet of paper.  
  
The consistencies my dreams had with the journal were very scary.  
  
_7 September 1873__  
  
After years of slumber, she chooses to speak to us with a picture, a drawing of some sort of cat. Really, it's nothing like any cat I've ever seen.  
  
It had a picture of the grinning Cheshire Cat! Also, further along the book....  
  
__18 April 1874__  
  
Interesting development! __Alice__ has returned the gift, presenting Nurse D with a drawing of a rabbit, though it's quite different than her toy.  
  
There was a drawing of the White Rabbit, pocket watch and all! I couldn't believe it!  
  
There were other drawings by Alice in the journal, but I didn't recognize anything they depicted. I kept notes on how Alice described Wonderland and any places and people she mentioned. A lot of it I came close to recognizing, but it all sounded so familiar....  
  
Lisa then knocked on my door, asking me to come play with her. I didn't want to do anything vigorous because of my heart problem, so I offered to play croquet in the backyard. She was delighted.  
  
Croquet is alright, I see it as golf with mallets. However, it's just as boring as golf, so I usually don't play unless I have nothing better to do. But any game with Lisa, no matter how boring, is always fun.  
  
Plus, something about croquet mallets intrigues me. I dunno what, but it feels natural in my hand. I've rarely lost a croquet match because I can handle the mallet like a pro. I guess it's because I can handle it like the fighting bo staffs I'm so familiar with....  
  
Anyway, after I let Lisa win, we headed back into the house.  
  
"Are you coming to my tea party, miss Selena?" she asked as I grabbed the door knob. I looked down at her as I opened the door.  
  
"Didn't we just have tea?"  
  
Lisa shook her head with a chuckle.  
  
"No, no....MY tea party, miss Selena!"  
  
"Oh, right!" I realized. Of course, like most little girls, she had tea parties with her bazillion dolls, and those were fun too. "Sure. I'll be upstairs in a minute."  
  
"Yay!" she cheered as I walked in. "Bring Mr. Rabbit, okay?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
She rushed upstairs to get everything ready while I went in my room to get the rabbit. Another headache was coming on, so I sat on my bed and grabbed the rabbit. I had time before Lisa called me up, so I looked over the directions on my bottle of medicine. This was what I found:   
  
================  
  
Directions: Take 1 dose every 24 hours or as doctor prescribes. Best taken before eating. Children under 12 should not take dosage unless prescribed by doctor.  
  
**WARNING! Can cause drowsiness, chest pains, hunger loss, vomiting, nightmares, delirium and possible insanity.  
  
================  
  
"Grrrr..." I growled. " 'Possible insanity?!' I wouldn't have bought it if I read the label first......and I call myself a medical student...."  
  
I looked to the front of the label to look at the brand name, and the bold letters practically jumped at me!  
  
DRINK ME!  
  
I put the bottle back before I could drop it in shock. I know the label said the brand name, and it wasn't "DRINK ME." I shook my head slowly, not knowing what was going on. I got up off the bed, but my headache suddenly throbbed worse than before. I grabbed my head with a pained groan, and flung myself onto the bed.....  
  
**_

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
.....but instead of landing on soft blankets, I conked my head on a stone floor.  
  
"OW! Jesus Christ!"  
  
"Quite alright, there?"  
  
I looked up to see the Cheshire Cat grinning down at my face. I glared at him as I got up.  
  
"No, I'm not 'quite alright!' " I snapped. "My head is killing me!"  
  
"Is it, really?"  
  
Actually.....  
  
.....I couldn't believe it! My headache was completely gone! I couldn't feel a thing!  
  
"What the...." I wondered, touching my head with my fingers. "That's weird..."  
  
"You lost quite a bit of sanity being away that long." he warned. "It's not fatal, but it is significant."  
  
"Now that you mention it, I do feel a little sore...." I commented, twirling my wrist in my hand. "What do I do to get it back?"  
  
"Pick up the knife," the cat instructed, "and feed it the blood of your enemies."  
  
I blinked.  
  
"I have to kill more people, and take their meta-incense?"  
  
"Essence." the cat corrected with a nod. "You don't want meta-INSENCE, it smells most foul."  
  
I pointed my knife at him.  
  
"Listen, I don't kill people. When I try to slightly injure somebody, they end up dying. I only kill people if they give me a reason to."  
  
The cat chuckled.  
  
"Well, none of that is a problem. That Boojum gave you a reason to kill it."  
  
"What's your point?!" I snapped at him.  
  
He just grinned at me as he disappeared.  
  
"Hurry along now, child. You shan't be late for skool."  
  
My memory reviewed my situation.  
  
_Yes, that's right. I have to get through the fortress to get to the skool to make the shrinking potion. Well, let's go.  
  
Knife in hand, I walked foreword.  
  
__Let's see, where am I?  
  
I was in a hall of stone walls, and the light sources were numerous torches on the wall. Wacky torches...the wooden poles flickered while the fire held still. I ignored the tiny details, looking around for anything out to get me. That was a little hard, since the area was like a gigantic maze. I had no idea where to go.  
  
Before I started wandering in left or right directions, I tried to remember a formula that could get one through a maze. I rotated my sore shoulders as I thought.  
  
__Lesse now...it was...to the right to get out and to the left to get lost...or was it right to get lost?....or....' I leaned up against a wall. 'I can't think. I'm still wearing the damn blue dress....  
  
I scratched my head as I looked at the left and right corridors.  
  
"Man....do I go left or right?"  
  
I was about to head left when...  
  
"Hoy, you there!"  
  
Down from the left corridor came a swarm of card guards. I nodded.  
  
"Okay, I'll go right."  
  
I took off running to the right corridor, hearing at least fifty card guards run after me. I soon found myself in a huge courtyard that looked empty enough. When I went too far into the open space, more patrolling guards jumped from the maze walls into the square.  
  
It took a couple seconds for me to get surrounded by at least seventy guards.  
  
"God damn it..." I muttered as they closed in on me. "Now what do I do?"  
  
"Another gift for you, Selena dear!" I heard the Cheshire Cat call from atop one of the walls. I looked up at him as he spiked a glass box down on my face, spilling a red liquid on my eyes. It stung! I yelled in pain as I sunk down to my knees and rubbed my eyes. The guards around me started whispering "rage box" to each other.  
  
The last thing I remember about that moment was my vision turning red.  
  
The next thing I remember, I was absorbing their meta and it helped me not mind the seventy maimed bodies around me. I looked back up at the cat.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"The deadly powers of the rage box."  
  
"Rage box? Is that what you threw at me?"  
  
"What a marvelous performance you put on, Selena. Each soldier went down in one swipe, and the overkill was a massive delight. How deadly you can be when dressed in rage!"  
  
I walked away, starting to feel a little ashamed.  
  
"I guess I shouldn't be feeling bad about it...('I am!', I thought to myself)...I can't remember what exactly I did....('That's what I don't like!' I thought again)....and it's not real, just in my head...."  
  
The cat appeared behind me and growled.  
  
"Are you still thinking this is all a silly dream?" he warned. "You will be constantly reminded that everything here is beyond your worst nightmares." He waved his paw to the right, down another corridor. "Continue on, to the next door, and see if you have the imagination to brew up the next room."  
  
I shrugged and started walking that way. The cat followed me close to my side, so I decided to use the opportunity and ask some questions.  
  
"Explain the sanity thing to me. The meta stuff fuels it, but how do I lose it?"  
  
"Simply by getting hurt or beaten. When you are fully killed and your meta-essence is taken from Wonderland, you will go insane."  
  
"Here or back in London?"  
  
"Back in London."  
  
"So, if I die inside my head, my body will go insane?" That's not good. "What exactly will happen to me?"  
  
"That is entirely up to you."  
  
Soon, we came to a door in a dead end of the maze. I looked at the cat, and he just grinned at me. It looked like the way out. I gripped the handle and turned it.  
  
"Bring it on." I muttered.  
  
I flung the door open....  
  
...and found a little room with another door. I looked around, confused.  
  
"What? That's it? THIS is beyond my worst nightmares?"  
  
"Well, keep going." the cat urged. I walked to the second door, and flung it open.  
  
Another door.  
  
"You have got to be kidding..."  
  
I flung open that door.....  
  
Another door.  
  
I opened door after door after door until I was ready to pull my hair off my scalp.  
  
"CAT!"  
  
"No need to shout." he shook his head.  
  
I grabbed him by his neck again.  
  
"Why have I been going through nothing but doors?"  
  
"Well, it is the Fortress of Doors, after all." he grinned. He disappeared from my hands again, then appeared behind me. "One thing Alice had that you didn't was patience. Things will take time for you to understand and accept, Selena."  
  
"WHAT IS THERE TO ACCEPT?! THAT I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE?!"  
  
"Kindly lower your voice, calm down, and don't give up five seconds before your miracle."  
  
I closed my eyes, tightened my fists, and took in a deep breath.  
  
"1....2.....3.....4....5....6...."  
  
"Alright, then?"  
  
"Shut up, I'm not at ten yet!"  
  
The Cheshire Cat shook his head.  
  
"Ready to move on?"  
  
"Yeah." I sighed. "Watch this, another door. I'm friggin psychic." I flung open the door without thinking. "Taa-daaa.....AAAAAAAAAAAAA!"  
  
I was greeted by a gigantic gust of wind that blew my hair in my face. I brushed my hair away and looked around.  
  
I was not in a room. No walls, no ceiling, just floor. All around me was a long tunnel of....I have no idea how to really describe what it was. It was like being in a pipe with water rushing past on all sides, or being inside a tornado....it's the best I can do. But it was really windy, and the gravity felt slightly heavier.  
  
I just stood there in awe, not believing the sight around me. It was frightening, but at the same time, beautiful.  
  
I was standing on a checkerboard platform. There was a wooden staircase leading down on my left hand side. In front of me, on the other side of the inferno, was a platform like mine. I could see three doors consecutively open to a hallway with one last closed door at the end.  
  
That was where I had to go.  
  
The problem was there was a one hundred foot gap between my platform and the other one.  
  
I walked past an out of place lever bolted to the floor and stood on the edge of my platform.  
  
"Now what do I do?"  
  
Right by my feet, from somewhere below me, a small checkerboard floor piece sprung up. It was big enough for me to stand on, so I carefully put one foot on it. It was very firm, and it didn't move or budge at all. I sighed in relief and fully stood on it with both feet.  
  
The moment my other foot touched the floor piece, another one popped up a short distance away.  
  
The idea clicked. I could jump my way across to the other platform, piece by piece.  
  
I jumped to the second piece, and a third one popped up a little further away, making the first piece vanish. Mustering all the strength in my legs, I jumped for it. I miscalculated the jump, and landed on my stomach with a skid. I almost fell off the floor piece and into the inferno, but I caught myself on the edge.  
  
I stood back up, and looked at the other piece of flooring much further away.  
  
"They go further and further..." I growled, jumping for it. My fall was short, and I caught it by my hands. "Oh well. It's just getting me closer and closer to the other side."  
  
After several more jumps that went further and further out (how I managed to keep it going, I'm still not sure! It's Wonderland, after all), I finally hopped onto the platform and collapsed to the ground.  
  
"Oh man....I am so tired.....I hope I don't have to do that again......"  
  
I got back up, and headed past the three doors to the one closed door. I closed my hand around the handle and turned hard.  
  
The handle wouldn't turn.....  
  
......and the door wouldn't budge.  
  
I did everything I could to get the door open: kick it, slam against it, jam the knife into the handle, use a card like a credit card to jiggle the lock (there was none, silly me), even plant my feet on the door and pull on the handle!  
  
I fell to the ground on my back, exhausted.  
  
"It won't open...."  
  
The cat appeared next to my head, and looked down at me.  
  
"You are so stupid, it is entertaining. You make a complete spectacle of yourself when you focus too much on the problem and not on the answer."  
  
I glared at him.  
  
"Have you lost your will to live, cat?"  
  
He shook his head with a smile.  
  
"You're even more humorous when the answer is right in front of you and you ignore it."  
  
"Well, where is it?"  
  
He waved his paw back the way I came, and I groaned.  
  
"Just tell me."  
  
"Aw, isn't this cute?" the cat purred mockingly. "The lazy kitten is hungry but won't walk to her saucer of cream."  
  
I pointed the knife at him.  
  
"Quit calling me a lazy kitten, or I'll prove there's more than one way to skin a cat."  
  
He frowned at me.  
  
"To get what you want, you have to work for it yourself. Get up and go look at your way through that door."  
  
I sighed and got up.  
  
"Fine."  
  
"And stop threatening me with no intentions. You're losing power to your verbal punches."  
  
I ignored him and walked back the way I came. Outside the first door, I could see the platform I came from across the one hundred foot gap.  
  
I saw the door I came from, and next to it.....  
  
......the out of place lever I ignored earlier!  
  
"That's it! That one door is controlled by that lever.....but it's all the way over there...."  
  
I walked to the edge of my platform and, just like before, a floor piece jumped from the continuum for me to jump on.  
  
I made a flat face.  
  
"I have to do this again?!"  
  
"If you want your saucer of cream, you have to walk to it, my lazy kitten."  
  
I turned to glare at the Cheshire Cat, but he already disappeared.  
  
I was angry, tired, frustrated and insulted.  
  
There was only one thing I could do for the moment........  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"  
  
_

  
~~~~~~~~  
  


  
"DAMN IT!" I cried, jumping around on the random appearing floor pieces again. "THIS IS NOT FAIR! WHY DOES THIS CRUD HAPPEN TO ME?!"  
  
That time didn't take as long as the first time. I made it back to the first balcony and I tried to catch my breath. I stood there with my hands grabbing my knees and huffing in air.  
  
"Okay then...." I said to myself. "The lever....."  
  
I spied the giant black lever nearby. Good God, the thing was as big as I was! I walked up to it, put both my hands on it, and pulled as hard as I could. It didn't take as much force as I thought it would, just a slight pull and the lever leaned with me.  
  
But, on the other balcony, the three open doors closed one after the other. They gave a strange melody as they closed.  
  
**DUMM!  
  
DING!  
  
DONG!  
  
"Oh no..." I growled. "Now all four doors are locked..."  
  
I sank to my knees with a snarl.  
  
"How can things get any more complicated?"  
  
Great time for a Boojum to sneak up behind me and attack.  
  
****"AAAAAAAAAA!"  
  
I was blown off my feet, and landed with a skid on my stomach. I rolled over on my back and reached for the first weapon I could grab.  
  
I picked up the cards, and held them by the edges in one hand.  
  
"Hey, prune face!" I shouted at it. "I dare you to do that again!" It flew around at a speedy pace, and I followed its movements with my steady hand. I couldn't hit it until it held perfectly still.  
  
It stopped just above me, taking in a breath for a scream. I decided to strike then. I slightly bent the cards and gently pushed down on my fingers, letting the cards blast from my hand in a mid-air shuffle. The cards were flying everywhere!  
  
....and the Boojum was chopped to pieces!  
  
The cards returned safely to my hand, and the Boojum's meta seeped into my skin. I got up and looked around. There was no one else around.....  
  
....then I noticed the stairs leading down just behind me.  
  
"Sure. Why not?" I decided, heading down the wooden stairs. I ended up on a wooden platform just below the checkerboard one, and planted firmly in the ground were three levers, each like the one upstairs. I approached one, looking at it.  
  
_Hmm...three levers....and three locked doors....  
  
I wonder.....  
  
I spat in my hands and rubbed them together in preparation.  
  
"Here goes..."  
  
I pulled the lever closest to me.....  
  
_****DUMM!  
  
Alright! One of the doors opened!  
  
I pulled the next one....  
  
****DING!  
  
The second door opened!  
  
I pulled the last one.....  
  
****DONG!  
  
CLICK!  
  
The third and last doors opened! I was finally on my way out of the room!  
  
I ran up the stairs to the checkerboard platform and walked to the edge. A floor piece flew up for me to stand on.  
  
"Okay....one last time." I jumped on it, which summoned another one. I continued on as before, jumping on floor pieces until I got to the other side. As soon as I touched down on the platform, I zipped through all four doors into the next room.  
  
Before I looked around, I did a little victory dance.  
  
"I MADE IT! I MADE IT!" I sang to my little dance. "I'M SO COOL! I KICK ASS! I RULE! I RULE! I...."  
  
"Correction!" a familiar voice shouted. "The Queen of Hearts rules Wonderland, and I'm the one who will 'kick ass.' Yours, to be precise."  
  
I froze in a disco-type position with a very deep frown.  
  
"Jack......shit."  
  
The Prince of Hearts was standing atop a long flight of stairs to a door. I could see Jack much more clearly than the last time, and I doubted he was human now.  
  
He was built like a human: tan skin, sandy hair, two arms and legs, nicely toned body.....but there were other things that were completely inhuman. Just below his ears were appendages that looked like beetle mandibles. Also, his hands looked long and bony, like tree branches with skin. His outfit was a stretched checkerboard military uniform, and he wore pointed boots on his feet that ended in very deadly looking claws.  
  
I grimaced at him.  
  
"I can see you much clearly now..." I nodded, putting my hands on my hips. "...And you have to be the UGLIEST man I have ever seen in my entire life."  
  
He only chuckled at me.  
  
"Why, thank you for that charming comment, Selena."  
  
"What the hell are you doing here?"  
  
"Waiting for you, of course."  
  
I remembered what he said earlier.....  
  
'I'll be waiting for her Behind the Wall.....'  
  
"I'm sure you were. I make everyone wait."  
  
"For an hour?"  
  
"You try going through that back there, see how long it takes YOU!" I snapped, looking around for any more doors. There were none, so I headed for the stairs. "Well, you're blocking where I need to go, so step asi....."  
  
STOMP!  
  
Jack pounded his foot on the ground and the stairs folded away from me like a road map under the door.  
  
I stamped my foot too, but that didn't do anything.  
  
"What did you do that for?!"  
  
STOMP!  
  
He stomped his other foot, and the checkerboard floor just a foot ahead of me rose up into the air. The space where it was missing revealed more of the time and space vortex. The walls and ceiling moved back like sun roofing, showing the vortex all around the room, and blowing in the strong wind from before.  
  
The levitating floor suddenly flipped over in mid air, then broke into Tetris block pieces and levitated on certain levels. They made a broken staircase of a sort. Not knowing what I should do, I stood where I was and unsheathed my knife.  
  
"What the hell are you trying to do? Blow me into the tunnel or something?"  
  
"Quite." Jack grinned. "You see, my mother and I are the only ones with total control over Time and Space. I have fixed it so that should you fall in, you will be taken directly to my mother in Queensland. I am to guide you there personally, by order of the Queen."  
  
I shook my head.  
  
"Why does your old lady want to see me in Australia?"  
  
He growled at me.  
  
"Queensland is in the very Heart of Wonderland! And don't you dare insult my mum like that again! Especially in front of her!"  
  
I smirked slightly.  
  
"So, get down here and punish me. But make it quick, I would really like to go through that door you're blo...."  
  
He hopped from the door onto one of the floating pieces, and it elevated him down along with the rest of the pieces back into the floor. It was clear for me to walk across.  
  
"My mother sent me to fetch you. She is very anxious to meet you, and wants to speak to you as soon as possible. She told me that if you resisted...." He flashed me a madman grin, "....that I should use necessary force."  
  
I shifted my weight to one leg.  
  
"So, if I said 'your mom can kiss my ass,' you get permission to beat me up?"  
  
He nodded, still grinning. I twirled the knife in my hand once and walked foreword.  
  
"Bring it on, then."  
  
The moment my feet were on that floor, it rose, intact, into the air until it half-way reached the door. I got into a battle stance and pointed the knife at jack. He reached behind him and gathered his spear in his hands.  
  
"I wish we could fight a farer battle. All I have to do is push you off and the vortex will swallow you up."  
  
"You have to catch me first."  
  
"And I shall!"  
  
He lunged foreword with the spear, and I countered with the knife, blocking his blade from stabbing me. I moved a few steps back, and he kept lunging foreword while I kept blocking. During one block, I grabbed the shaft of his spear and pushed the blunt end of it into his gut. He stumbled backward and let go of the spear. I flung the spear behind me and attacked with the knife. He would just move out of the way, or knock my wrists aside, moving the knife aside.  
  
This kept up until I got a lucky shot at his face and cut off one of his mandibles. He shouted in pain, covering his cheek with both hands. I paused to let him recover. I always give my opponent a fighting chance. He glared at me as some scarlet blood dripped from his hands.  
  
"You.......you.....you......" He said in-between gasps, "....You cut my face off, and made me bleed!" He grinned suddenly. "Only mum could do that."  
  
"Well, 'mum' should have given you a few more spankings when you were younger."  
  
He laughed a little.  
  
"Oh, she did, actually. I was punished often. My mother would love to tell you all about it."  
  
He stomped his foot.  
  
"So ask!"  
  
Suddenly, the platform began to turn over with us on it! Jack made a break for the rising end and so did I. But Jack made it to the other side, but I slid down with a yelp.  
  
Too late!  
  
Thinking quickly, I stabbed the knife into the tiling so that I wouldn't slide into the vortex. Then, the platform straightened out, leaving me dangling by the knife handle under the checkerboard platform.  
  
I could hear Jack above me, laughing to himself.  
  
"There you are, mum!" he shouted. "Your 'good-for-nothing son' has finally done something spectacular! You can stop haunting me about it, mother!"  
  
I shook my head, and let him know he didn't win.  
  
"Is your real name Norman Bates?"  
  
"What?! Who said that?!"  
  
I grinned.  
  
"Is your mother ruling over your life? Is she a dead body in reality? Do you dress up as her sometimes?"  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
Then, I used my best 'old lady' voice.  
  
"Nooooooooormaaaaan! Norman! Do we have guests, Norman? You know what happens to guests...." Then, I imitated the Psycho music. "EEEE, EEEE, EEEE, EEEE, EEEE, EEEE, EEEE, EEEE...!"  
  
I heard his foot stamp, and the platform turned back over. I leaned into the turn and put my feet up so that I would be standing up when the platform straightened out. After the platform straightened out, I pulled the knife out of the ground and dusted my dress off.  
  
"Whoo. That was a trip." I started teasing him then. "If I was left hanging there any longer, I would have slipped and fell into the vortex. That would have made Her Highness happy and saved you a lot of grief...."  
  
His spear appeared in his hands as a pissed look crossed his face.  
  
"Stop resisting, and do as you're commanded!" he screamed.  
  
"She's not my mum, why should I do what she says? Why should I do what you say, ya loser?"  
  
I've never seen anyone snap so easily.  
  
He ran at me swinging, and screaming like a Boojum. With the knife handy, I blocked his attacks with my hand and the knife. He was in complete distress, similar to a blind rage; he had no idea what he was doing except that he probably wanted me dead.  
  
He kept that up until he stamped his foot for the platform to turn over. This time, I kept up with him, and did some fancy footwork over the narrow side and along the flat side as the platform straightened out. I attacked him, swinging the knife in front of him and cutting some of his uniform. I got a few whacks from his staff, but it was nothing serious. The two of us just kept hurting each other until he stamped his foot again.  
  
The platform began to turn again, and we ran for the rising end. He got over before I did, but I planned it that way. As soon as I did my fancy footwork, I jumped with a poised foot in Jack's direction. I kicked him in the face, and he lost his balance and fell. The platform completely straightened out as I watched him get swept into the vortex.  
  
"Your mum can still kiss my ass!" I called to him, long after he was swept out of sight. "I'll go see her when I'm good and ready!"  
  
Suddenly, the platform broke into the Tetris pieces again, floating at different levels right up to the door. I smiled, seeing that the path was clear to move on. I easily jumped up piece by piece until I reached the door.  
  
I opened the door to see a long gray walkway ahead of me, and the darkness stretching every which way. However, to my left was the skool, still teetering and tottering on its swaying ledge. I looked over my right side and down, seeing the long stretch of the Fortress Wall.  
  
I was on the wall!  
  
All I had to do now was get into the skool!  
  
**

  
~~~~~~~  
  


  
I made a run along the wall with the card deck ready. I was expecting some guards. I found them soon enough.  
  
"Hoye! There she is!"  
  
Diamond card guards started running towards me, but I flung my cards at them before they could do anything. Their heads came off like bottle caps and their bodies slumped to the floor, spilling blood. Their meta seeped into my skin as I ran past them. My bruises healed up easily enough.  
  
As I ran along the wall top, watching the school rock back and forth, the cat appeared running by my side.  
  
"Nicely well done." the Cheshire Cat congratulated me. "Now that Jack is back in Queensland, Her Highness might keep him there and out of our way."  
  
"Yeah, sure." I doubted. "I don't care if his mother grounds him for life, really. I just want these crazy dreams to stop so that I can get on with my vacation."  
  
The cat stepped in front of me, back arched and fur on end.  
  
"What did you just say?!" he growled as I almost tripped over him. "You still think this is a 'crazy dream?' "  
  
I put my hands on my hips as I nodded.  
  
"Yes, these are all crazy dreams. It's that damn medicine that's doing this; I read the label. 'Hallucinations and vivid nightmares,' no wonder why nothing makes sense. Nightmares never make sense, no matter how real they are. There's no reason to be chasing off after some rabbit that doesn't exist because some figment of my imagination told me so. And what a figment of my currently stoned imagination! A dusty, yellow-toothed, old fleabag of bones who talks in riddles and vanishes into thin air on a di....."  
  
"RRREEEOW!"  
  
SCRATCH!  
  
There was no warning! The Cheshire cat pounced foreword and cut into my face with his huge claws! I screamed and fell to my knees, covering my face. I could feel the blood drip through my fingers.  
  
"What the hell did you do that for?!" I screamed. "First the rage box and now this?! Do you like cutting my face open?!"  
  
I thought I heard him purring, so I peeked at him between my fingers. Yes, he was purring, and he was also licking blood off his claws.  
  
He was also ignoring me, the sure-fire way to piss me off.  
  
"HEY! ANSWER ME!"  
  
He looked up at me, then waved his cleaned paw at the skool.  
  
"I see you are not appreciating my help and advice, no matter how reliable. If you need somebody more tolerable than I, go find it in the skool. But before I leave you, listen to this very crucial fact, Selena."  
  
"I'm listening."  
  
"This…Is…Not…A…Dream… Wonderland…Is…Real, and if you don't believe me, look in the mirror."  
  
"Hey, that's not very nice!"  
  
The cat shook his head.  
  
"You listen but you don't heed. You won't get very far if that habit persists. Well, carry on. Time to be in skool."  
  
With a grin, he vanished.  
  
"I hate him so much." I growled, cleaning my hands and face in my apron. "Thank God I won't have to see him again. Thank you, God."  
  
As soon as I was sure the bleeding stopped, I got back up and pulled out the knife. As much as I wanted the dream to end, I wanted to get inside the walls of the skool rather than the open darkness of the wall. However, I was standing right above where I had snuck in earlier.  
  
How the hell was I supposed to get in from up here?!  
  
I ran along the top of the wall for a better view of the skool. Good thing I decided to do that, I noticed an open third story window that lined perfectly with the top of the wall. The building was leaning away at the moment, so getting in looked unlikely.  
  
But, if it leaned in my direction, then I could jump inside, no prob!  
  
There was a parade happening in my head, I felt so victorious! Selena has done it again, ladies and gentlemen!  
  
I stood on the edge of the wall, and waited. I could hear children laughing and playing inside. I smiled to myself; kids are a weak spot to me. I want kids, I just can't find the right guy to make them with.  
  
The skool began to lean my way, and I crouched in preparation. As the building leaned as far as it could, I made a jump for it. While I was tumbling foreword in mid-air, a shrieking voice pierced the inside of my head. It was the same voice as the one from the village, but instead of beckoning me, it was threatening me.  
  
_)))You little witch, how dare you give me ignorance! I would order your head off your shoulders, but instead you will suffer so badly, you will rue your existence! You will wish YOUR MOTHER had never been born!(((  
  
It hit me in an instant who that voice was!  
  
__You're the Queen of Hearts, aren't you?! Why the hell are you on my case, lady?!  
  
__)))Beware what you do and think, stranger. I see, hear, and know all. Do not oppose me, Selena Lawless!(((  
  
Next I remember, I went though the window and landed on the hardwood floor. As I picked myself up and opened my eyes......  
  
_

  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  


  
.......I was back in my room, lying on my soft bed. My face felt really sore....  
  
I reached a hand up to feel my face when a knock came at the door. It opened immediately.  
  
"Miss Selena! I'm all ready!"  
  
Oh no, Lisa's tea party! I completely forgot! I got up and turned to her with a smile.  
  
"Okay. I'm ready."  
  
She suddenly gasped and went white as a ghost. I frowned at that reaction.  
  
"What's wrong, Lisa?"  
  
Suddenly, she burst out screaming!  
  
"AAAAAAAAAA!" She ran out the door into the hall. "Mum! Mum! MUM! COME QUICK!"  
  
"What......the hell just happened?" I asked myself, putting my hand on my face.  
  
I felt blood......  
  
I remembered something, and turned to the bedside mirror. I couldn't believe it! My face was scratched just like in the dream.  
  
_'......if you don't believe me, look in the mirror.......'  
  
"Oh my God, no way! I can't believe it!"  
  
"Selena...."  
  
In the reflection of the mirror, I could see the Cheshire Cat reclining on my bed.  
  
"Cat?"  
  
"Don't dream..........just believe."  
  
I sharply turned to look at him, but the bed was empty. I looked back in the mirror, but he was gone. The scratches on my face were still there. I even felt them. They were deep, probably needed stitches, and were very real.  
  
I looked at the medicine bottle. Was it really the source of my connecting nightmares?  
  
No....the weird apparitions began before I bought it.....  
  
My eyes fell on the stuffed rabbit.  
  
Yeah.......after I bought the rabbit, everything started happening........  
  
I was believing.  
  
I fell down a rabbit hole and I mentally couldn't get out.  
  
"I believe.........I believe......"  
  
I chanted it over and over again to the mirror.  
  
"I believe.........I believe......"  
  
_

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
_  
Stand up, and with your hand on the Bible  
Tell the truth to one and all  
'Cause you know that feeling  
When you've got your back against the wall.  
Well, if you talk to your brothers and they don't give a damn  
And you look like you're gonna fall  
You can call my number when you feel your back against the wall.  
  
~"Back Against the Wall," The Alan Parsons Project_


End file.
